Pretty Twisted
by sophistication18
Summary: There never really has been anything more complicated than love. Now you tell me. JOHN CENA/OC *new summary
1. Chapter 1

"I still don't understand why I'm doing this."

Paul Pierce stopped in his tracks and looked behind his back to glare at his sister Svetlana. She was looking around the TD Banknorth Garden as if she hadn't been watching courtside basketball games there for the most part of her seventeen year old life. Hell, it practically gave her the aforementioned life she now enjoys, including the Louis Vuitton fur coat she was wearing over a white tank top and black leather shorts ensemble. Most probably the black knee-high Steve Madden boots she was now tapping her foot with, too. And it wasn't as if watching wrestling would be any different than watching basketball. There would still be thousands of people cheering for one party or another, holding up their home made signs and banners and donning their favourite Superstar's apparel. Not anything new.

"S, please," Paul pleaded, taking her tiny, soft, French-tipped hands in his own big, brawny ones. "We talked about this. It's going to be fun, I tell you! And besides, I already told John I'd come. I wouldn't want to be more of a jackass than I already am and bail on him."

Svetlana sighed for effect. It wasn't the wrestling part that bothered her. She actually got a kick out of the overly-dramatized ass-kicking. Earlier today, she just had a photo shoot for the new Marc by Marc Jacobs ad. It had started at about five in the morning and lasted about five in the afternoon. It had drained the life out of her. She wondered why it had taken so long, too. Before she had the chance to confine herself in the comforts of her room at the Ritz-Carlton, Paul was there, waiting for her and practically dragged her to The Garden for the WWE Show. But now, her eyes felt like it weighed a thousand tons and her body felt like it had been wrecked over by a Mack truck. She couldn't help feeling cranky.

"You tell Cena this better be good," Svetlana seethed, bumping her brother as she stormed into the arena. "And you're driving me to New York tomorrow noon. You owe me that much."

Paul mentally hollered and ran to keep up with Svetlana, who was taking long and angry strides into the arena. Most of the people were already seated. You could feel the hype in the air as the fans awaited their favourite Superstars to battle. On the way to their seats, the siblings were constantly mobbed for pictures and autographs – doing nothing to lighten Svetlana's already foul mood. Paul was his usual cocky self, smiling widely at each camera and signing people's arms with a spring in his step. You'd think Svetlana would be enjoying this – being a model and all – but she was anything but charming as the people continued to have their way with pictures. Finally, Svetlana and Paul took their seats at ring side, just behind the announcer's table.

Amidst all the noise, Svetlana was still ready to fall asleep on her chair. But an even louder anthem began playing, jolting her awake. Everyone just started screaming and hollering, even Paul. She groaned loudly and huffing, she stood up.

"What's going on?" Svetlana screamed into Paul's ear. She could hardly hear herself speak. The music continued playing and the people continued cheering, but she had no idea what for.

Paul chuckled to himself and screamed back, "The Champ is here!"

A muscular figure suddenly erupted from backstage and the crowd grew crazier. Svetlana instantly recognized him as John Cena, one of Paul's friends. He was one of the better looking ones. As his face was flashed on the two giant screens overhead, Svetlana couldn't help but admire his well-built body. No wonder all these ladies were screaming their hearts out for him. She couldn't deny he was incredibly hot – minus the purple and yellow shit-shirt he was wearing. He saluted the crowd and ran down the ramp, unto the ring. He had so much energy as he catapulted himself between the ropes, much to the delight of over the ten thousand people in attendance.

Finally, his music died down and the crowd hushed, too as John started to speak. Svetlana had little idea of what he was talking about. There was something about a Nexus and some dude named Wade Barrett. Paul seemed intrigued, though. Apparently, they were doing a pretty good job at screwing up his life. Svetlana had to applaud his acting skills.

He hadn't even finished when another anthem played and out came some scary-looking men wearing black shirts with a yellow 'N' in the front. The one at the centre began speaking in a thick British accent about how much of a loser he was and yata. Soon enough, they announced a match tonight between Cena and someone named David Otunga.

There were a couple of interesting matches that night. There was one among the Divas, too. Surprisingly, at the end of the night after Cena had won, Svetlana found she had actually enjoyed herself.

Paul was looking smug when the people started to file out. "Worth it, wasn't it?"

Svetlana rolled her eyes and playfully smacked him. "Yeah, it was. But I can't wait to get to bed. You ready to go?"

Standing up, Paul checked his BlackBerry and grabbed Svetlana by the hand. She let him lead her out of the arena. But instead of taking the exit that everyone else was heading to, they wheeled around to a large black door just beside the ramps.

"Is this an alternate exit?" Svetlana asked, eyeing the long hallway that the door led to.

Paul shook his head. "John asked us to meet him at his locker room. It's the same place as the Celtics locker room, so it shouldn't be hard to find."

Svetlana groaned when her reunion with her Italian-linen sheets had to get delayed _again. _She followed Paul as he made his way through the hallway that seemed to never end. They reached the right locker room after a couple of minutes. Paul knocked on the door and opened it up when a voice told them to come in.

"Figured it was you." Cena grinned, standing up from a wooden bench. Svetlana was quick to blush when she realized he still had his shirt off. But it wasn't as if she wasn't enjoying the view.

"Awesome show, man," Paul praised, shaking John's hand.

He smiled widely and Svetlana noticed he had dimples. She could feel her legs melting at the sight. "Nah, you're just saying that," John remarked humbly.

"Not at all, Cena. Even Svetlana here couldn't get enough of you," Paul said, laughing. He was probably just joking but the colour rose in Svetlana's cheeks when Cena's attention drifted to her.

Quick to recover, she shrugged off the comment like it hadn't affected her at all. "What can I say. You impressed me tonight, Cena. I know you were probably dying to holler 'I owned you, bitch.' After that Wade Barrett drama."

"Glad to have entertained the sexiest woman alive," John replied coolly. Svetlana – who was quickly melting – expected John to laugh at his jest but he just kept looking at her as if he wanted to eat her up. The face of Victoria's Secret couldn't do anything but bite her lip and look away.

"Hey Paul, one of the Divas is having her birthday party today at the bar in Ritz-Carlton. Would you guys care to come? I'm sure Maryse wouldn't mind." The question was addressed to her brother but Cena's eyes were right on Svetlana.

"What do you think, S?" Paul asked. "I know you have your interview tomorrow but I'm guessing this would be fun. And it's at the Ritz-Carlton so you could easily head back up to your room."

Svetlana hardly looked at her brother. Her glittering green eyes were too preoccupied as they challenged a pair of blue ones. "I've never been one to turn down a good time."

John Cena smiled triumphantly. "All right then. I'll see you in an hour."

John Cena had longed admired Svetlana Clarke from afar but now that she was practically touching every part of him as she grinded her hips with his, he just wanted to eat this girl whole. They had spent almost the entire night together, talking, drinking and dancing. She was enticing as hell and Cena felt like the luckiest asshole in town. People would be talking about this tomorrow but he couldn't care less, really.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he whispered into her ear.

Giggling, Svetlana turned to face him. She obviously had too much to drink. "What are you going to do about it?"

Before he knew it, his mouth came down on hers. She was obviously startled, seeing that she didn't respond right away. But John kissed more deeply and she kissed back, with the same passion. They stood in the middle of the dance floor, kissing each other like their life depended on it.

Pulling away to look into each other's eyes, each one was filled with the same amount of lust and hunger. They weaved their way through the crowd until they reached the elevator and this time, Svetlana wrapped her hands around John's head and brought it down on her awaiting lips. John was only ever-so willing to respond and he devoured her mouth. He pulled up her ass so that he was carrying her and her legs were wrapped tightly around his body – all this, without pulling away.

When the elevator bell sounded for Svetlana's floor, she pried herself away from John and ran out giggling to her room. John laughed too and chased her. He saw her standing in front of one of the doors, smiling at the floor and looking up from beneath her lashes when she noticed him coming. Just as she managed to open the door, John slammed her into the wall and kissed her hungrily. Svetlana giggled between kisses and he led her to the bed.

He set her down on the comforter and his lips came down on her again; this time, making their way on her exposed neck. He trailed kisses on her neck down to her shoulder over and over until she was shivering in delight. Her soft hands lifted his black polo over his head and with the same quickness, John zipped off her red Valentino dress. Her seamless bra was quick to follow.

Svetlana moaned in pleasure when John's mouth captured an exposed bud. He continued his tongue bath on the right nipple as he kneaded the left and vice versa. Svetlana bit her lip to keep from screaming at the sensation. Keeping one hand on her breast, his fingers travelled lightly down to her panties. Before she could react at all, he captured her lips with his own again just as a slender finger slid into her core. She gasped against the kiss, her nails digging into John's hair as he continued to kiss her and pleasure her. The pleasure was exquisite.

John removed her panty off in a flash as he ripped off his own boxers. Soon enough, they were skin to skin. John stayed on top of her, panting slightly. The two of them stared into each other's eyes, not saying a word, afraid to break the magic. She traced his face with a delicate finger as his eyes searched hers. She knew what he was asking for. She nodded before he slid into her and she groaned at the sensation of him inside of her. She was obviously ready for him and he began moving in and out of her as he built a rhythm. She could feel her mind go hazy at the sensation. He was seeing stars as he neared his edge. He continued to pound in and out, until he got faster and both of them were groaning in pleasure. They climaxed together as he fell on top of her, both of them panting. His head was lying near her heart and she stroked his hair lovingly.

That would be the beginning of a pretty twisted relationship.

The next few months, John and Svetlana would meet all across the country to pick up where they had left off – but always in secret. They were surprisingly discreet for such huge celebrities. John was usually the one who initiated their meetings. Once he found out they would be staying in the same city, he would borrow some person's cell or drop by a phone booth to call Svetlana. He never used his own Treo. Svetlana never denied him. They would meet up at the hotel he had said – arriving an hour apart, to stay safe – and it would be as if they were the only two people in the world. They'd kiss like there would be no tomorrow. They'd make love like it was the first time. It was another world when they were together.

But after they left each hotel room, it would be like they didn't know each other at all. They had agreed this wasn't the best thing to be bragging about. After all, they had reputations to uphold and they both knew this was going anywhere but a relationship. That way, they could satiate each other's lusts without anyone ever having to know.

But keeping things secret was proving to be a harder task for both of them. Especially when certain feelings start to arise...

Svetlana Clarke was beginning to feel a little cranky. You could tell by the way she was pouting as she looked out of the cafe window that something was really irritating her. But even with a scowl on her face, she was still the most beautiful woman within a 500-mile radius.

That's downplaying it, though. She was still the most beautiful woman in the planet regardless.

Oblivious to the fact that all the waiting staff was distracted by her mere presence, Svetlana Clarke continued to frown at her gold and emerald-encrusted serpentine Cartier watch as it continued to move farther from 10 A.M. Dionne was late. Again.

Playing with the soft fabric of her camel Dries Von Noten romper, Svetlana rolled her eyes to herself, wondering why she was still surprised. This was hardly the first time her best friend had showed up late. Svetlana tried to remember when the last time was that Dionne had actually been punctual but thinking about it made her head hurt and made her all the more cranky. She had even bought a dark chocolate-glazed donut in desperation but the usually comforting treat did none of its magic today.

Two more donuts, a blueberry muffin and three coffee refills later, Dionne _still _hadn't arrived. Svetlana's mood had gone from sour to rotten. The couch beside her had been occupied by about four different people already. Her best friend had horrible punctuality but this was beyond worse. Unless Dionne came with a Spider 360, two tickets to The Hyatt and a one year supply at FrizBerry, there was no way she was talking to her for another year.

In a frustrated blur, she picked up her vintage gray woollen boyfriend jacket from the armrest and stormed out of the little cafe, unto the unforgiving streets of New York. When she hit the road, a swarm of photographers blocked her way to her car. And just her luck, one of them _had _to be TMZ.

"Svetlana, you didn't seem too happy in there," the camera guy commented.

_No shit, Sherlock. _She wished she could say it out loud. But she loved Harvey. She just hated the people that worked for him. Quickly faking a smile, she gave a nonchalant shrug. "Friend bailed. Just stopped by for some brunch. You want some of this?"

She showed him the paper bag with the leftover donut. The cameras clicked even more feverishly. The camera guy focused his lens on the paper bag but thanked her and denied it. Fortunately for her, the donut had caused quite a stir and some of the photographers cleared to give Svetlana just enough room to slide into her Jaguar.

Just as she started the engine, her iPhone began playing the first lines of Rude Boy. An unknown number displayed on the screen. Automatically, Svetlana slid a dainty finger on the screen.

"Is this you?" John's familiar voice came through the line, instantly making her feel warmer.

"No this is Dionne Vladavitch of The Four Seasons New York. Would you like a reservation, sir?"

She could practically see him rolling his eyes now but she felt like this was the way to blow off some steam. "I recommend the Presidential suite, located at the twentieth floor. The view is spectacular and the room is by far the best of the hotel. And for an extra two dollars, I'll throw in a lap dance for you."

"Via, you can stop now. Nobody's laughing."

But she was on a roll. "Add in another five fifty and you get to watch me strip. A ten and I'm all yours. Shall I include the bitch-didn't-show-up-on-me promo now, sir? It's a bargain."

John sighed loudly. "You sound upset."

"The _hell _I am," she practically screamed. She knew this was unfair for John, who had nothing to do with Dionne being late but she was just so damn angry that she felt she had to let this go. "Try 'extremely pissed' or 'raging mad' – those would be more appropriate. But that doesn't matter right now. Did you want something?"

Of course he did. Why else would he call?

"I want to see you tonight."

"Sure thing," her voice had no hesitation whatsoever. She immediately began recalling their standard protocol for New York. The Four Seasons, 8 P.M. at the room John is staying in. Usually somewhere at the twentieth floor. "I can't meet you before eight, though. Which room?"

"I want to do something different tonight," he said. Svetlana raised a brow.

"So... _nine _p.m.?"

"How about dinner at Butter?"

Svetlana choked on her own saliva. Did he really just say that? "Are...are you asking me out?" she stuttered.

"If it's okay with you, of course." He sounded so nonchalant about it, like they did this every day. No, they did _not _do this everyday. They may have had sex on a regular basis but they had never dated ever before.

She honestly didn't know what to say but finally she found her voice. "What brought this on?"

"Look, Vi, if you don't want to do it..."

"No! I mean, yes! I want to! I'm just...curious, that's all. I mean, for a long time all we ever did was..."

"Have sex?" John sighed. "This is exactly why I want to take you out. I don't want you to feel like you're just some booty call, Via."

Svetlana's eyes widened. What in the world was he getting at? "John, you've never made me feel like that, I swear. You've actually been a pretty good friend to me these past months."

Okay, maybe she was laying it on thick. They barely talked when they met up, except when he made the call. John would leave almost immediately after he was satisfied and on a few occasions, she had to work extra hard to cover up their tracks. But she didn't want him to feel bad when the time she spent with him were the best of her life.

"No, Via. I know how I've treated you and it makes me feel sick that I'm treating you like some... whore. But you're more than that. I promise you, you're anything but a slut. I hope you know that you've been an amazing companion these past months and just an overall amazing person. I'm sorry that I took you for granted and I swear I'll make it up to you. Starting now, I wont force you into anything you don't want to do. You hold the ropes now."

It was ridiculous how those words made her feel all gooey inside. John could be such a romantic when he wanted to be. "Thank you for the thought, John. I really appreciate it. But you've never made me feel that way. If anything, you've made me feel more special."

She hoped to God that didn't sound too corny. She would die if he started laughing right now.

Luckily, he didn't. In fact, he sounded very serious when he said, "But that doesn't change how guilty I feel."

"Your feelings are irrelevant, John. I understand what you feel but please let it go. You're too much of a saint to upset anybody, anyway."

"Please say you'll go to dinner." Man was he persistent.

Svetlana sighed. "Fine. But only if you stop this ridiculous self-pity thing you've got going."

"Thank you, Vi. I'll see you tonight." He hung up and she couldn't help but feel irritated when she noticed that he hadn't said he would stop.

But she couldn't help but feel excited too.

She was finally going out with John Cena.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's crazy how even just TWO reviews can get me going. I'd like to thank cenarko1986 and wwechaingangbabe for their inspiring reviews. You really inspired me to get this thing done.**

**I have tons of homework to do this week, so I may not be updating in a while but I hope you enjoy this short chapter right here!**

**Love, Marchesa**

As of five thirty in the afternoon, Svetlana Clarke found herself being faced with three problems.

1. Her hair was an absolute mess. She looked like an electrocuted brunette ginger cat.

2. The town car wasn't working.

3. She still had nothing to wear for her date with John.

She could live with the first two. But the last one was just nerve racking. She had spent the whole afternoon staring at her suitcase but she still couldn't find anything worthy of a date with John.

She had no idea why this was turning out to be so hard. She'd been to hotel openings, birthdays, cocktail parties, Presidential inaugurations and a couple hundred dates. Why was this so different? Her vintage Valentino seemed too over the top, the Chanel LBD was just plain overused, the fitted off shoulder Viktor & Rolf made her look twenty years older and everything else was just horrendous.

In her standards anyway; her suitcase alone could feed a third world country for a day.

After twenty more minutes, she began to be desperate. Her hotel room was now beginning to look like a designer's factory outlet. Her clothes were strewn everywhere. Her shoes were out of their boxes. She finally decided to call her _other _best friend in the world, Georgiana. She was probably in Tahiti. Or St. Bart's. Or some other tropical island. Unlike Svetlana, she was actually born into a rich family. Her father was the ever-scandalous hotel tycoon Colin Yates and he brought her with him everywhere. They had met on a hotel opening at San Diego and they kept in touch ever since. Sometimes Svetlana wished she could see more of her best friend. She really was a genuinely good person. She wasn't fake and she spoke her mind, regardless of what you might feel about it. Svetlana felt she needed those kind of people in her life.

And of course, she knew Georgiana would never come in two hours late for a meeting.

She picked up on the fifth ring, her voice hoarse with sleep and thick with her cranky mood. "Babe, I love you to death, but I swear to God if this is less than a near-death situation, I'm going to Chris Brown your ass when I get back."

Whoops. Not exactly what she had hoped for.

"I'm so sorry, Giana! I thought you were still in the country. Is this a bad time?"

"Vi, it's three morning. There couldn't be a more perfect time."

"Okay, I get it. Stupid question. Are you in Cannes or something?"

"Close. Abu Dhabi, actually." Her voice was still irritated but Svetlana could feel her relaxing. "So what's up? You got ran over by a truck?"

"This is going to sound _really _shallow but – I have nothing to wear for my date tonight." She spoke fast, embarrassed at what her friend might think.

She heard Georgiana snort from the other line. "Really, Vi? Didn't you just get the world record for the world's largest collection of clothes?"

Svetlana rolled her eyes. "That was the largest _closet. _There's a difference. And I'm on the road right now, so you can't possibly expect me to bring all five thousand square miles of it all around."

"Jesus, Via. I'm going back to sleep now."

Svetlana felt her heart sinking. "No, Giana! I really, really need your help. I'm just stumped right now. This is _really _important."

"Not for me it isn't," she said rather irritably. "Look, just pick out something Givenchy. That always works out for you. But if not, I really don't give a shit right now. I'm sleepy as hell and you're annoying me. Good night, Via!"

"No but-!"

The line went dead. Svetlana groaned. So much for best friends.

But Georgiana had reminded her of a piece of Givenchy clothing she hadn't worn yet. It was a light pink silk trouser that she had been crazy about a few weeks ago. She hadn't thought about it since then but right now, she could just picture herself walking into Butter with those very trousers and her fitted black Topshop bodysuit tucked elegantly underneath it. Immediately, her mind began working on overdrive and her hands began searching for the pieces of clothing that she needed. Luckily, she found the trousers and the bodysuit in time and she even managed to locate a Hermes scarf and an almost sheer vintage cardigan to go with her outfit.

By seven thirty, Svetlana only needed to put on her favorite pair of Cartier rose-shaped diamond studs so that she could call herself ready. She took one last look at the full-length mirror, admiring the work she had done. She loved dressing up and she definitely loved what she had worn tonight.

The whole ride to Butter, Svetlana sweated her ass off. Her hands got clammy and she couldn't stay put as she got nearer and nearer to her destination.

She hated admitting it, but these past few months, John had grown her. She didn't know how but suddenly their getaways began feeling like a necessity; seeing him began to feel like this need that had to be satisfied over and over again and having sex with him began meaning so much more for her.

_Okay fine. You like him. But that doesn't matter because he doesn't. Sure, he likes you well enough to have sex with you, but to have an actual relationship is out of the question. He's probably only just taking you out because he still feels guilty and shit. But what if he actually wanted something more?... Argh. There you are again, getting your hopes up. If you keep that up, you'll be heartbroken by the appetizer! Just accept the fact that he cant be yours and move on._

Svetlana continued her mental argument with herself all the way to the restaurant. When she finally arrived, she collected herself together one last time. That seemed to have strengthened her. And with one elegant step on the brick floor, she emerged out of the Rolls Royce.

"Jesus Christ, Svetlana. This is just a date, for crying out loud. What the hell are you nervous about?" she said to herself with a smile. But as she looked up, her green eyes met a pair of sparkling blue ones and her resolve melted away with her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

**I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Didn't work on it as long as the others but I really enjoyed writing it. Thanks again to my reviewers! I want to hug all four of you! **

**Love, Marchesa**

"Are you okay? You look faint."

Svetlana certainly felt like she was about to topple over, what with John looking absolutely gorgeous in front of her. He was in a fitted blue polo (Ralph Lauren?) that did wonders for his muscles, accentuating them in all the right biceps. His hair was army-cut as usual, a look that normally would have turned her off if it were any other guy and of course, his eyes; those sparkling blue orbs, looking over her worriedly. Yes, she could certainly faint right now.

And his soft hand on her bare arm was not helping her recover her senses at all.

Finally, she mustered up enough control to steady herself by looking away from his gaze. She adjusted the thin cardigan that had slipped off her shoulders. "I'm absolutely fine," she assured him with a smile that she hoped was convincing enough. "So, uhm, should we go inside now?"

John flashed her a smile that almost made her lose her balance again. He extended a large hand for her to take. "Shall we?"

Blushing like a high schooler, she gently laid her hand in his as they walked into the double French doors of Butter, her most favourite restaurant in all of town. What she loved most about this place – and about upper east-side New York in general – was that everyone was so stuck up on their own ass that they never cared to notice any celebrities. They had too much pride to let you have that satisfaction, which was perfectly fine for people like Svetlana who, in every other state, had to trudge through a mass of reporters and fans before getting to a destination. She loved the attention but sometimes, it just drove her crazy.

John led her to a booth at the far left of the restaurant, beside the glass window. On the centre of the table was a beautiful rose arrangement which, Svetlana noted, wasn't in any other table in the restaurant. Some scented candles lay around the centrepiece and on one of the gold-painted chairs was a bundle of ghost flowers.

Svetlana blinked. Were they _really? _She looked behind her to where John was standing, still smiling. He walked past her to the table and picked up the flowers on the chair, handing it out to her. She took them hesitantly, her eyes still wide.

"How'd you know?" she asked in a tiny voice, stroking the velvety petals in awe. Most people have never even heard of the flower. What were the chances that John knew about it? Plus, how did he figure out they were her favourite?

"Here, take a seat," John urged, tugging her to the chaise that the flowers used to occupy. He obviously hadn't heard her or maybe he was pretending not to. Either way, Svetlana felt a twinge of disappointment when she hadn't gotten an answer. She settled into the comfortable seat and was even more grateful for it when John began gaze-melting her again.

A waiter came to pour a glass of champagne into their flutes. Svetlana thanked him and sipped on hers quietly. It was a long time before anyone said anything. Finally, John decided to break the ice.

"What brought you to New York this time? NY Fashion Week is not until the end of the year, I presume," he began, taking her hand into his.

"I have a friend who just celebrated his bi... birthday," she told him, trying so hard not to squeal right then and there when his hand began playing with the tips of her fingers. God, it felt so good. She was instantly reminded of all the times those same fingers were playing with some other body part in her body. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from swooning. "And Paul just had a game yesterday."

"Mmmm," he mused, still busy with her fingers. He was finally forced to draw his attention away from them when a waiter came in with Menus.

"We already ordered, thank you," he said to the waiter. The server immediately bows and walks away. Svetlana raised a brow at John. She was going to be fine with whatever John had in mind, but she was really hoping to get her favourite dish, Seared Striped Bass, that she hadn't tasted in months.

"So what do you want to do after this?" he inquired, back to examining her fingers again.

Svetlana gulped. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to have him kissing and licking every part of her body. But she knew this 'dinner' was going to lead them to his bedroom anyway, so she stayed patient. "Anything you want to do."

John sighed and fixed the full force of his sparkling blue eyes on her. Svetlana had to remind herself to breathe. "Via, when I said you hold the ropes from now on, I was serious. I was hoping that after tonight, you don't have to be forced into anything again which I believe is what I've been doing for the past months. That's why I want to end... whatever this is we have going on so that you can find move on to find someone who truly deserves you. I want you to move forward despite this obvious mistake both of us made."

Svetlana's eyes widened, her heart beating wildly. She could feel it falling apart right now. Her breaths were coming in gasps and her vision blurred with tears. No, no, no! He had it all wrong! Didn't he realize that she needed him? She couldn't give two shits that he thought he had taken advantage of her. He made her happy, even if he couldn't see that because for the first time in her life, when she was with John, she didn't have to pretend to be the perfect person everyone thought she was. She could be as free as she could be, even within the four walls that they usually shared. Why couldn't he _see _that?

"You can't do this to me." Her voice broke at every word. "I don't know how that pretty little head of yours works but it's apparently screwed wrong. Being with you was anything but a mistake."

He answered bluntly. "But you could just be saying that."

"But I'm not! Jesus, John! Don't go Edward Cullen on me. It's unbecoming of you." She was pouting now.

He had the decency to chuckle sadly. "I still need to end this."

Svetlana could barely see straight now. "But _I _need this," she begged. _I need you. _

Before John could say anything else and before Svetlana could completely break down, the waiter arrived with their food. "Madam, Sir, your meal for tonight, Seared Striped Bass. Enjoy the rest of your night."

With a bow, he left.

Svetlana stared intensely at the warm meal in front of her. This was just too much of a coincidence. First, her favourite restaurant; then her favourite flower, and now her favourite meal? With glistening eyes, confusion etched deep into her green irises, she gazed questioningly at John, who was looking back at her sheepishly.

"How do you know so much about me?" she asked him before she could stop herself. She just had to know. "Did you... ask about me? Because I'm pretty sure these information aren't exactly in my Wiki page."

John hung his head. "I know a lot more."

Svetlana's eyes widened even more. At this rate, her eyeballs were going to fall off of their sockets at the end of the night. "What? What does that mean?"

He met her gaze. Svetlana had never seen him look so vulnerable before. Slowly his mouth began to open. "I know that you love your family more than anything in the world. A couple years ago, Paul almost got stabbed to death, but the jacket he wore saved him. That's why you love clothes so much, because it preserved the life of the one dearest to you."

Svetlana couldn't move.

"I know that chocolate helps to make you happy. But nothing could make you happier than the day Karl Lagerfeld picked you as the face of Chanel. You're a sucker for rom-coms even though you refuse to be in one. You get that cute serious look whenever you're thinking hard. Anything colourful makes you smile, except maybe purple and yellow put together because it reminds you of the Lakers. You tie your hair up whenever you get pissed off. You insert a lip balm between your shoes because your favourite NBA player does it too. You'd love to be a pilot someday but the thought of disappointing anyone scares you."

He stopped suddenly and as if he was talking to himself, he said. "But you know what scares me most?"

Svetlana waited. His blue eyes met hers and they have never looked more sincere.

"I know you're in love with me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much for the feedback! I was really nervous about that last chapter but you guys just made my day. Again! I love my readers and reviewers so much, even though they're pretty much just the same people. Thanks for the love, guys! Hope you stick with me through the end.**

**I realize that on the first chapter, I mentioned Svetlana's 'seventeen-year old life', but I'd like to clarify that she ISNT seventeen. Rather, she's been watching her brother play ball for seventeen years. Hope we got that straight. She's actually 23 going on 24.**

**Hope you guys enjoy this! :D **

**Love, Marchesa**

All the color left on her face had drained completely. Svetlana clutched the ends of the table with both hands, barely breathing. She couldn't think anymore. How in the world did John know? How did he figure out _all _those things about her? Least of all the _last _part – the part she was desperately trying to deny.

John was waiting for her to answer but she had lost all her vocabulary. Words. Words. Where were they?

"I...," Svetlana managed. She gulped, looking everywhere but at him. "How can you be so sure?"

"Judging by how long I've known you, I'd say I'm pretty accurate," he said, sounding very straight-to-the-point.

Svetlana was looking down, afraid of what he was going to say next. But she was in no way prepared for the words that came out of his mouth after.

"I'd be lying if I said I don't feel the same way."

Svetlana's head snapped up, her heart swelling in an entirely different way. _What did he just say?_

John fixed his gaze on her. The intensity of it made her want to melt on her chaise. "You were never supposed to mean this much to me. But suddenly, I want to see you all the time. Whenever I land on a new state, I hope to God you're there too. When the day ends well, I wish you were there in my room, waiting for me, so I could tell you all about it and make love to you and _know _that you're mine. You make me _feel _these strange things just by being there and looking gorgeous in front of me. Is that even normal anymore? Of course, I could be making a total fool of myself right know and find out I was wrong about what you felt."

Svetlana was floored by this confession. She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest. John looked like he wanted to say this for quite some time now. She had been so scared of John rejecting her that she wouldn't even admit her feelings to herself. But here he was now, pouring his heart out. He looked so adorably vulnerable sitting there with the saddest look on his face. She just wanted to kiss the frown on his face away. He had misinterpreted her shock for indifference.

"If you're a fool, then I'm in love with a fool," she joked, although she meant every word. "And the more fool that makes me."

His eyes brightened and he smiled that beautiful smile again. He leaned into the table to stroke her cheek. "I guess we're both fools in love."

Svetlana could feel a smile forming on her face, too. She was radiating with a new happiness. John was in love with her. John Cena was in love with her.

"So where does that leave us?" she asked playfully.

She could see a new glint in his eyes. "I guess it leaves me to do this," he leaned in further to take her lips in his.

The moment his mouth came down on hers, she felt how different it was from other kisses they shared. They were always so urgent, so demanding. Right now, he was kissing her with a softness she didn't know possible from him. She kissed back eagerly, just as slowly, just as slowly, not wanting to break the magic.

He pulled away, with his hand still on her face. "Do you want to ditch this place?"

Svetlana nodded eagerly, still breathless. He stood from his chair and practically pulled her out of her. She had just enough time to grab her ghost flowers before John led her out of Butter and out unto the street. There, he pulled her into him and kissed her again, much more urgently this time. Svetlana's hands wrapped around his neck, caressing the soft skin there as she opened her mouth to let his tongue slide into it. He was a wonderful kisser and they continued to be entwined like that before John's car pulled up in front of them.

"Get us to the hotel," he ordered his driver when they had hastily got into the back seat. For a moment, Svetlana feared of what the driver might think of them, flushed and dishevelled in front of him, but he just nodded obediently and drove forward. John pushed her gently unto the leather seat and began trailing soft kisses on her neck. Svetlana moaned when he hit a sweet spot, wrapping her legs around his muscular torso. He moved further down to her chest, where her bodysuit was conveniently displaying a good view of the swell of her breasts. She could feel herself shivering at the sensation. This new sweetness from John was doing her wonders.

The car pulled up in front of a small motel on the lower west side. Svetlana looked puzzled, and she turned to John but he put a reassuring kiss on her shoulder before carrying her into one of the small rooms. They made love countless times that night; they were more intimate than ever before. Because finally, all that they had bottled was finally set loose.

Svetlana slept, although barely, happily that night, with John's arms wrapped around her. When her eyes opened again, the happiness still hadn't left her. John was in love with her and they just had the _best sex ever _last night. She pulled the comforter over her and began giggling wildly. This had to be the happiest day of her life.

But something was wrong. She tried to pinpoint what it was exactly but she wanted to punch herself after she finally realized it after she felt the unoccupied space beside her.

John was no longer there.


	5. Chapter 5

**I love my reviewers to death! I couldn't care less that there are only five of you. So, I decided to reward you with a lightning quick update! I may not be updating in a while, too, so I hope this will make up for it. Enjoy it the best way you can!**

**Love, Marchesa**

"Sorry. All circuits are busy right now. Please try your call later."

Svetlana groaned and practically threw her iPhone 4 across her Four Seasons hotel room. If the bed wasn't there to cushion its fall, there was a 100% chance it would have splattered to pieces. She huffed a loose strand of hair away from her face, her hair now very tightly wrapped in a messy bun.

Yes, she was _extremely _pissed.

Not that she was counting, but it had been 13 hours and twenty one minutes since she left the motel after looking for John for about an hour. Even the front desk didn't see him leaving. And she had left him messages at a rate of 20 per minute and calls at the rate of 105 per hour. Where the _fuck _was he?

In desperation, she tried calling Paul. They just came off a back to back so chances were that he was in some hotel room right now, watching clips of their games with Doc and the rest of the team. She dialled his number. No one picked up. She tried again and Paul picked up on the seventh ring.

"Yo, sis?" he greeted her, sounding confused. Svetlana could hear the squeak of shoes scraping against the hardwood floor in the background and assumed he was at practice.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Svetlana said.

"Doc gave us a little break. We're setting up some new plays," he told her.

Intrigued, Svetlana asked, "Oh yeah? Are they any good? I know you play the Clippers tomorrow and I figured you'd want to be as flashy as them, too. Blake Griffin is one-man highlight reel, after all."

Paul chuckled. "Not really what we had in mind but that puts a whole new perspective to it. Yeah, they're pretty good. Rondo does a great job at setting them up. Most of these new sets are coming from him. But I'm guessing that's not why you called, is it?"

Svetlana gulped, suddenly nervous. She didn't want to be suspicious or to give too much away so she picked her words as carefully as possible. "Uhm, I was wondering if you knew where your friend John Cena was?"

"Cena?" Paul asked incredulously. He obviously wasn't expecting that. "No, not in a long time. Why'd you ask?"

_Oh, well. It was a long shot. _Svetlana sighed. "I was just planning on going to the Raw show next Monday and maybe get some tickets from him."

"I'll give him a call and see if he can hook you up."

"No need. I'll call him myself. PM me his number?"

"Sure thing. Is that all? I need to get back." Paul sounded impatient.

"Yeah, I'm done. Thanks. I'll call you sometime later," Svetlana promised.

"Cool. Bye, Vi."

She threw her phone back on the bed again.

Where in the world was John anyway? Why hadn't he called to say where he was? After finally letting their walls down last night, it confused her why he hadn't at least gave her a goodbye note or hinted where he was going.

Rude Boy suddenly started playing and quicker than a cheetah on steroids, she lunged for her phone. Her heart took an enormous leap when she landed on her bed but it took another staggering fall when she saw the caller ID. It wasn't John.

It was Dionne fucking Vladavitch.

"So you finally decide to call," Svetlana snapped, trying to lay on her anger as thick as possible.

Dionne sounded absolutely flustered. "Oh my God, Via! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be a no-show. Something _really _important came up, but I know that doesn't matter because I'm still a horrible friend for leaving you like that!" She sounded like she was about to cry.

Svetlana rolled her eyes. It was typical Dionne. Cry for pity. But she was getting none today. "You couldn't even leave a fucking call, let alone one measly text."

"I know and I feel horrible for it. But you need to forgive me! I don't want my best friend mad at me on the day I got engaged!"

Svetlana's jaw dropped to the floor. "You got _engaged?"_

Dionne brightened up and she laughed through the phone. "I did! Yesterday! Oh my Gosh, Via, it was the sweetest thing ever."

Forgetting that she was supposed to be handing Dionne the wrath of hell, Svetlana asked excitedly, "Oh My God, tell me _all _about how he proposed!"

Just as giddy, Dionne began, "So I was headed to brunch to meet you but when I get down from the condo, all I can see are all these cars lined up bumper to bumper and each one had a valet in it who was carrying up these pink letters. I look again and they actually spell out, WILL YOU MARRY ME. The moment I scream in glee, he emerges from the car at the center of it all and pulls out this _huge _Cartier ring. I think about 50 karat, Vi! It's so beautiful and I couldn't even care less that it weighs twenty pounds. It was the best thing ever!"

Svetlana squealed despite herself. "That is so adorable, Dionne. I'm so happy for you and Hector!"

The line went deadly quiet.

"Uhm, Dionne? Hello?"

"Yeah..." Dionne cleared her throat. "About that... uhm, Hector and I broke up a couple months ago."

Svetlana's eyes widened. "What? You didn't tell me that! So this guy you're marrying... you've known him for less than a year?"

She was incredulous. Why hadn't Dionne said anything before?

"That doesn't matter!" she said, immediately becoming defensive. "I know he loves me very much. If you'll meet him, Vi, you'll agree with me. He is the most romantic guy I have ever met. He's so unselfish and he makes me feel so special and loved. I never got to be like that with Hector, Vi. God, I hope you don't fall in love with him too." She giggled.

"Of course not..." Svetlana trailed off. She still didn't understand why her best friend had kept this a secret for so long.

"Anyways, I want you to save the date for my engagement party. It'll be late next month, maybe on the 23rd or so. You tell Paul to come to if he likes," she said. "And oh! Do you already have plans for Christmas?"

Svetlana pouted. She always went somewhere special with Paul and his wife Julia for Christmas. As much as she wanted to spend time with her family, she felt she needed a change. "I've got nothing at the moment. What have you got in mind?"

"Well, John's taking me to his parent's place for the holidays and I really need my best friend there with me when that happens. As much as I love him, I'm really nervous about meeting his parents. I don't want to screw up. I really want to make a good impression on them, you know? That way, you'll get to meet him too! I haven't told him about you yet, so it'll be a wonderful surprise for him to see how much of an awesome best friend I have. Please tell me you can come."

She sounded so sweet, Svetlana had to agree. "Okay. But don't blame me if I come in two hours late."

Dionne laughed herself. "Thank you so much, Vi. And I really am sorry."

"Nah, forget about it," she told her. "So is that his name? John?" She shook her head at the irony.

"Oh yes! I don't know if you know him, I mean he's all over the place all the time, but you've never really been into wrestling have you?"

Svetlana froze.

"His name's John! John Cena!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry this took so long. (Yes, 3 days is long for me.) And I'll hope you'll forgive the fact that this chapter is so short. I still have tons of things to do that I have to get done by the 31st. I'll try my best to update tomorrow or this weekend but my mind's just completely occupied with school right now. I hope you guys will understand.**

**Thanks a million to my reviewers and readers. You guys are just awesome. :D I hope you show some love for this chapter too!**

**Love, Marchesa**

Did you say John _Cena?_"

Svetlana Clarke knew she was grasping at straws, but there was no way in the entire planet that the man she had been sleeping with – the man she had grown to love – was the same man her best friend was going to marry. It was just impossible. Really, what were the odds? Ten billion to one, at the least!

"Yes! John Cena! The wrestler! The guy in that Marine movie and the one with the rounds..."

Fucking hell, who gave that goddamn _one _anyway?

She felt her whole body grow numb, the floor felt like it was swaying... or was it her? It didn't matter right now. She couldn't think straight and it was an absolute burden to concentrate on her breathing. She hadn't even noticed she had slipped down to the floor.

"That's..." she tried, but she couldn't even utter a word before an avalanche of tears poured out. She pulled the phone away from her face to sniff her tears away. "That's great, Dionne. You don't know how happy I am for you."

_And you have absolutely no idea how miserable I feel for myself._

Dionne sounded like she was in tears, too. "_I'm _happy too, Vi. God, you just don't know how much. I've waited all my life for someone like John and it's just so amazing that he's with me right now and that he loves me so much. It's so great too know that you have someone who loves you more than anyone else in the world. I wish you could feel it too!"

Both women cried, though only one of them was in real pain.

"I have to go, D." Svetlana was trying hard to sound normal but her voice cracked, anyway. "I'll see you around."

"Bye, Via! Love you!"

Svetlana hung up and threw her iPhone across the room once more. There was no bed to save it this time.

She had no love for anyone right now. After all, she just lost hers.

She didn't know how long she had been sprawled on the floor, if not crying her heart out, then making sure that every last bit of her phone was less than .20 mm large. She knew it was pointless to feel sorry for herself, but she couldn't help the hurt that she felt. It was like something broke inside her – something so huge that it had left a nagging hole in her body. She couldn't believe John could do this to her. After all that he had said... after all they had done...

But she was always going to be second place, wasn't she? If he loved her enough, why hadn't he married _her?_Why did it have to be her best friend? She felt so stupid right now, believing he genuinely loved her. Of _course _he belonged to someone else. He was a catch, after all. She couldn't believe she was so gullible, so fragile. But why had he done this to her? Why had he led her to the top of the mountain when all he was going to do was push her off of it anyway?

Suddenly, an overwhelming anger filled up inside her. Why the fuck was she feeling so sorry for herself, anyway? Why had she let this _one _guy get her so hung up? It wasn't like he was irreplaceable. She was Svetlana fucking Pierce! _Everything _had a replacement.

Harshly rubbing away her tears, she stood instantly and stormed for her suitcase, the bitch locker in her brain starting to unlock.

She was going to have her revenge. And she was going to hand it to John in the best way she knew how.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here it is! An update! You don't know how inspired I was with the last reviews. ;)**

**So this is the first chapter with John's sort-of point of view. I was actuallly planning to have it all in Svetlana's point of view but I felt John needed to be heard. He's pretty conflicted. I hope you guys bear with him. He is a man after all.**

**ENJOY GUYS!**

**Love, Marchesa.**

John Cena had done a pretty good job at screwing his life up.

First, he met the woman of his dreams. Then, he hooked up with her that night – and a couple hundred nights after that. Captivating as she was, he began noticing some weird things about her, like how her hair was almost the exact same color of gold, how her eyes sparkled whenever she saw him. It stirred strange feelings inside of him but he finally had to admit to himself that he had fallen for her – hard.

But he conveniently left out the part where he was also keeping _another _secret girlfriend.

He met Dionne Vladavitch six months before he and Svetlana shared that memorable night. She was less high profile than Svetlana was, but she was still recognizable as one of the industry's most successful young directors. They had met at a Make A Wish event and she had taken his attention with her easy smile and charming personality. After a few dates, it was clear that they were compatible in every way but they decided to keep their relationship on a down low until they were finally sure of each other.

They were both so perfect for him, but both in their own way. It was impossible to choose.

_But you have, asshole. Haven't you proposed to Dionne? That was it. That was your choice._

Strangely, Svetlana's beautiful, panting, naked body was so vividly flashed in his head that he almost had a boner right then and there. He ran a hand through his hair. He had finally admitted to her that he loved her and every word of it was true. But why had he done it mere hours _after _he had proposed to Dionne?

Maybe it was because he knew that he could never have the same passion for Dionne than he does for Svetlana. Without even saying a word, she could make him feel things that he never had with Dionne. But he loved Dionne too. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt her; sweet and fragile as she was and he knew by the look in her eyes whenever they met, that she loved him more deeply than he ever could. So knowing he couldn't give her his love, he would give her his life and commitment instead.

_And in the process, ripping your heart out, right? Right. _He shook his head, more confused than ever.

The problem was, how in the world was he going to explain this to Svetlana without her cursing him into the pits of hell? Just thinking about hit almost made him wet his pants, which was not a good idea at all because the house shows would be beginning in less than an hour. He considered keeping it from her but it would be pretty suspicious when he showed up in their next hotel room with a ring on his finger and she would hate him all the more knowing he was deceiving her. And so he considered telling her straight up, but he couldn't stand the thought of Svetlana leaving him, much more leaving him.

But he had one last option, but it made him sick to even consider it. Would she really be his mistress if he asked her to? He knew Svetlana didn't deserve it, but there was no other way he could keep her but still keep their relationship a secret. If only she would agree...

"Damn, what a mess you are," John said to the ceiling of his locker room, feeling defeated. Of course she wouldn't. And what kind of a man would he be if he actually asked that of her?

"A conniving asshole is what you would be," he told himself.

"So it took you this long to find out?"

He jolted upright. Stooping under the frame of his doorway was his best friend, Randy Orton, wearing a smirk on his face. John rolled his eyes and threw an ice-pack in his direction.

Randy caught it easily. "Easy, man. I still have a promo in a few minutes," he joked but immediately noticed the sullen look on John's face. "Woah, so something's really wrong, huh?"

John snorted. "You think?"

Randy crossed the room to take a seat beside him. "I know what this is about. You and Diane fought, right? It happens, dude. Sam and I have them all the time. But if you're meant to be together, then you'll always find a way to push through."

"_Dionne _and I have no problem at all." _Not exactly._

"Oh." Randy sighed. "So what's all the moping about? If anything, _I _should be the one moping. You've been very coy with me, John Cena. You've been dating for a year and I know nothing about it? It took me a few days to believe you were actually getting married. What's the deal?"

John knew this was coming. When he and Dionne agreed to keep their relationship on the down-low, they had been serious. Too serious, in fact, that they never even told their closest friends or family. All their friends were high-profile, anyway, so it would be pretty risky to be telling them about their little affair. They had already agreed to bring them to John's Christmas Dinner so they could all get together.

"I don't know, man. I guess we just wanted to keep this thing for ourselves. But I promise you'll get to meet her. She's just..." John closed his eyes, trying to imagine Dionne's caring smile and her effortless laugh, but instead, he could see Svetlana with her hair whipping behind her, running to hug him.

"Extraordinary." He opened his eyes and the vision was shattered. He banged his head on his silver locker. God, he was messed up.

Randy chuckled. "You're disgustingly in love. But I'm happy for you. It's about time you settled down."

John forced a smile.

"I just stopped by to congratulate you because I don't think I'll have much time later. I have a flight right after the show too." He stood on his seat and clapped him on the back.

"My place on Christmas, a'ight?" John said before Randy could walk out.

"I'll be there, bro."

After Randy left, John banged his head on the locker again.

He had a _lot _of explaining to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**WHATTUP GUYS! I'm _so _friggin happy right now! I got to watch my CELTICS PLAY LIVE! Awesome win by my fave team in the whole wide world! Which is why, I decided to update a little faster than expected. I know it's been a while since I've updated but I really do hope you guys enjoyed this. Taylor Swift did a lot to inspire this chapter. I'm absolutely in love with her right now.**

**I still love my reviewers and my readers. You guys are the epitome of awesome.**

**ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!**

**Love, **

**Marchesa**

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME RIGHT NOW?"

A considerable number of heads at courtside of The Garden turned to stare curiously at the origin of the voice, which turned out to be Svetlana Pierce, who had jumped out of her seat when her brother, Paul, got called for a foul that didn't happen. Her regular neighbours at courtside weren't too surprised by her outburst – heaven knows she bitched about every call. Instead, they gave low laughs.

"You call that a foul? How about I call you a fraud, you fucking _joke,_" Svetlana spat. The middle-aged official didn't even blink. He was obviously immune to this kind of shit, what with Kevin Garnett breathing down profanities every two seconds. That angered Svetlana even more.

But before she could slap that poker face off of that smug official's face, she was held back by strong hands. Svetlana whirled around irritably and found Rajon Rondo chuckling at her.

Rajon was one of Paul's teammates and the closest to Svetlana's age. He was 25 and everyone else was ancient. She had to admit that when he first came in to the team, she already had this huge crush on him. They even dated for a while but it didn't work out for either of them.

But right now, she _had _to get his attention again. She adjusted her gold Alice + Olivia blazer so that it flattered her simple white tank top, aware that he was looking at her. She knew he wasn't over her yet so she was going to be as enticing as she could possibly for Part One of her revenge to work.

"Stop laughing," she snapped, wiping a loose strand of hair away from her face and tucking it into her ponytail, hoping it made her look desirable. "You should know Iguodala flopped on that play. It was clear as day."

The Celtics' point guard guffawed yet again. "Yeah sure, Via, just like your brother does on every step-back jumper, right?"

"That's different. It actually _looks _legit."

Rajon rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

Svetlana looked down at his foot. "Ankle feeling better?"

Rajon had tweaked his foot a bit at the last game and twenty minutes into this one, the pain he was experiencing was showing. But Rondo being Rondo, he downplayed it as much as he could with a wave of his hand. "It's never stopped me before."

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "Of course it hasn't. Duh, you've never injured your ankle before."

Andre Iguodala missed the first free throw. Svetlana hooted loudly and she stood again with a fist pump. "That's right bitch!"

"It's absolutely unflattering of you to be cursing so much. Pretty girl like you should be saying sweet nothings instead," Rajon noted, shaking his head.

Svetlana found herself with an opportunity. God, he was too easy. "Problem is, I haven't got anyone to say sweet nothings to," she said sweetly, with a suggestive wink.

Rajon blinked at her and Svetlana could only imagine how she looked to him right now. Her blond ponytail cascading like a waterfall down her neck, her eyes glinting with a hidden surprise. She didn't have to be a genius to know she was irresistible.

She was a humble fellow, wasn't she?

"Rondo! Get back on the floor! What the hell are you doing?"

Doc was screaming at Rajon from across the court. Svetlana giggled at him then playfully pushed him to the court. He had to shake his head before playing again.

Rondo recorded a double-double that night on an injured ankle.

Svetlana smiled triumphantly. _Gotcha, sucker._

TO: RONDO

OKAY. MEET U ORL IN A FEW DAYS.

Svetlana clicked send with a sense of triumph. Piece one of her revenge puzzle had come into place. And she didn't even have to try so hard for it too.

She paced her hotel room and sat at the edge of her bed, feeling the smooth fabric of her comforter. It was amazing how much work she had put into this "Make John's life a living hell" plan. Ever since leaving her New York hotel room five days ago, she began formulating her revenge for the man who had played too much with her feelings. People might call her bitter but the jackass needed to know what it felt like.

And to think he would be marrying her best friend... was he using him like he had done to her? How was she even sure that they were the only ones he was lying to? Svetlana felt her blood boil like it always did when she thought of him.

There was a knock on her bedroom door and Svetlana ran to open it. As expected, her friend, Taylor Swift (Wink, wink) was there to greet her with her trademark smile.

"Taylor! I'm so glad you could make it!" She enveloped her friend in a huge hug, which Taylor returned eagerly.

"Of course I came. This was just too fun to turn down," she said excitedly. Svetlana led her to a couch inside her suite and there, Taylor pulled out a yellow pad filled with lines and crossed-out words.

"Is that it?" Svetlana asked, pointing at the paper.

Taylor nodded, her curls bouncing. "I had an awesome time writing this down. Where'd you get the concept from? A personal experience? This sounds pretty heart-wrenching."

Svetlana gulped but maintained her cool facade. "Just thought it would be interesting. Could you sing it for me?"

Taylor smiled and she began:

_Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you_

_Counting my footsteps, praying the floor wont fall through _

_Again_

_You paint me a blue sky_

_And go back and turn it to rain_

_And I lived in your chess game but you changed the rules everyday_

_Wonderin' which version of you I might get on the phone_

_Tonight_

_Well I stopped picking up and this song is to let you know why_

_Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone_

_Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? _

_The girl in the dress cried the whole way home_

_I should have known_

_Well maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame_

_Maybe it's you and you're sick need to give love and take it away_

_And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors who don't understand_

_And I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said run as fast as you can_

_Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone_

_Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?_

_The girl in the dress cried the whole way home_

_Dear John, I see it all now, it was wrong_

_Don't you think 24's too young to be played by your dark twisted games_

_When I loved you so _

_I should have known_

Svetlana could feel her eyes fill with tears. She was hoping that asking Taylor to write this song would help her to get over him but instead, she just felt even more upset. She felt even stupider for being so gullible. She hated that he had used her. But most of all, she hated that she still wasn't over him, that she was letting him control her feelings and actions like this.

"Hey, are you crying, babe?" Taylor glanced at her worriedly. She wiped a tear off of her cheek. "Was it that bad?"

Svetlana shook her head. "That was beautiful, Tay. Thank you so much for doing this for me. And on such short notice, too."

Taylor gave her a hug. "It was nothing, really. Now, please stop crying. I'm here."

Taylor continued to hold her like that and Svetlana continued to sob into her hair, the last line of the song echoing loudly in her head.

_I should have known._


	9. Chapter 9

**HEY GUYS! I know, I'm such a bad update-r. This has taken WAY too long. I'm really sorry. School was brutal the past couple of days. But here it is! An update! I hope you guys enjoy this. Sorry, no revenge yet but I'm getting there. Just so you know, Svetlana's obviously heartbroken and it's going to be hard to get over that. **

**This chapter probably sucks but I hope you guys appreciate it anyway. I LOVE MY REVIEWERS AND READERS! Thanks so much for always sticking with me!**

**Love, Marchesa**

"Are you for real right now?"

Svetlana yelped as Georgiana took hold of her floor-length Grecian Valentino chiffon dress from her suitcase. The thin fabric almost ripped apart as Georgiana scrunched it up like toilet paper between her hands.

The two friends were staying at Miami where Georgiana had flown in from Abu Dhabi, packing and preparing for their trip to Tampa. Their friend Dionne had invited them there to meet her fiancé so they could all get to know the man Dionne had been secretly dating for less than year.

But Svetlana needed no such introduction. She had been well-acquainted with the said man, not as much as Dionne, but just as well. They had been sleeping together for a little over six months and just a few weeks ago, he had professed his love for her. Of course, she had long been in love with him and Svetlana had been the happiest woman alive.

For twelve hours at least. That's when she found out that the man he had been in love with was _marrying her best friend._

Life was playing a sick game with her.

Watching her dress being dismantled by her best friend, Svetlana couldn't help but think how her heart had been scrunched up just like that by the other person she called best friend. It almost brought her to tears again. But she closed her eyes and instead, thought of her revenge.

First, make absolutely _sure _that John knew what he was missing. Hence, the unnecessary amount of garments in her suitcase. She wasn't about to just get _dumped _and _deceived _like that without putting him through the same amount of pain. He _needed _to know what it felt like for her to see that gorgeous body and those sparkling blue eyes – but belonging to someone else.

Just when she thought she had taped all the pieces together, her heart tore into a thousand little fragments again.

"Via! We're going to Dionne's _week-_long _Christmas _celebration," Georgiana reminded her, bringing her back to reality, as if Svetlana hadn't been dreading, thinking and plotting it for days already. She threw the garment on the bed harshly. "How many times do I have to remind you we aren't going to a White House party?"

Svetlana lunged for the dress and put it back inside her suitcase. "I'm wearing it to the Christmas Dinner, okay?"

Georgiana looked from Svetlana and her suitcase in disbelief. "What, along with the _ten _other dresses you have packed?" Georgiana knelt on the floor and zipped open Svetlana's bag before she could answer.

With a gasp, Georgiana found herself faced with the world's most expensive luggage.

"_Four _different colored fedoras – and they don't even look cheap! - , two bags of jewelry, _six _pairs of heels, _four _flats, _five _pairs of jeans, _eight _skirts and..." she paused to count the blouses that were neatly stacked one on top of the other. "Are these _fifteen _tops? Don't even get me started on these dresses. Seriously, Svetlana, we aren't dressing up for the Queen of England, you know!"

Svetlana rolled her eyes. "I'm aware of that, thank you very much. Is it so bad to want to look good? Why do you sound so surprised, anyway? I pack this much stuff _all _the time."

"Surely you didn't forget about our little talk?"

Svetlana groaned and collapsed unto the plush carpet that extended all throughout her closet. She _had _forgotten about their 'little talk' actually. Dionne grew up as the youngest child of a _very _successful family. Her dad worked for NASA (he was one of the operators during the Apollo mission), her mother was Florida's most respected – and highest paid – lawyer, both her brothers graduated valedictorian at Oxford and are now _senators. _And she _had _to pick the two people with the most personality in show business to be best friends with. She had lived under their shadows all her life which was probably why she was a little fragile and insecure. Svetlana and Georgiana had talked about this and they had agreed to make her feel special as much as they could. That included tuning down on the fashionable clothes, letting her pay every now and then and supporting her directing career.

"This _one _exception please?" Svetlana begged. "It's Christmas after all."

Georgiana shook her head. "She needs this now more than ever. Dionne's _finally _contented for the first time in a _long _time, Vi. I'd hate for her to feel bad about herself right now. She's obviously loves this guy so much and Lord knows not even the most faithful of men can take their eyes off of you."

Svetlana buried her face unto the floor with a grunt. She had this all planned out for _days _already. This was just so unfair. _Dionne _always got all the pity.

It was _such _a pain to be so beautiful.

Georgiana had already began to unpack some of her dresses. Svetlana unwillingly helped her. "But I'm keeping the chiffon dress.

Georgiana rolled her eyes as she threw aside a nude camisole. "Whatever. As long as you get rid of all this _other _crap." She held up a particularly beloved piece of clothing disbelievingly. "A _Chanel trench coat? _Really? To _Tampa?"_

"You should know the weather's unpredictable these days. Climate change, hello?"

"Don't get cute with me. Get rid of it."

By the end of the night, Svetlana's suitcase was only half full.

She frowned as Georgiana zipped it up.

"Do you really think it'll be enough?" Svetlana was worried to death.

"I think you'll manage _twenty _pieces of clothing for five days." Georgiana chuckled. "I know why you're doing this, though."

Svetlana gulped. "You... you do?"

Her best friend nodded. "Yeah, I mean, it's not like you haven't been ranting about Rajon since I've arrived."

Svetlana sighed. For a panicked moment, she had thought Georgiana had seen through her. "Oh. Right." She began turning into faking-in-love mode. "I'm _so glad _Dionne allowed me to invite him over for Christmas. I know it didn't work out for us before but I really think getting back together has helped me a lot."

Georgiana smiled. "I remember he was really considerate and kind. _And _hot. But honestly, that's it. I mean, you guys only dated for a few weeks before, right? I've only ever met him once. Would you tell me what he's really like?"

Svetlana paused. Describing Rajon was a lot harder than she thought. She hadn't really gotten to know him that much but Georgiana was obviously thinking she was head-over-heels for him. So she decided to describe instead her dream husband.

"Well, he's _really _sweet," she began, almost in a trance. "He knows all my favorite things, which is really cute because he surprises me with them all the time. I don't know how he does it. And you're right about him being considerate. When we're alone, I feel like there's no other place in the world I need to be because he's just right there and he's all I need. He makes me feel so special and _wanted. _He appreciates that I put a lot of effort into my fashion. He dresses up really well too, which could be irrelevant for most people but is really important to me. Most of all, he seems to be really into me."

When Svetlana stopped, Georgiana let out a low whistle. "Damn, girl. And _you're _obviously into him. He sounds perfect too." Her cell phone rang then and Georgiana jumped up to find it amongst the throng of clothes. "I need to get that! It could be my mom!"

Svetlana shook her head as she helped her friend but she couldn't help but feel her stomach twist when she realized that the description of her dream husband could very well be an accurate description of one John Cena.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm making up for lost time here, so I decided to write this as quickly as I could. Thanks to my reviewers and readers. You guys reaallyy keep me going. I hope this chapter is good enough for you! I have an inkling the next one will take quite a lot of time to get up, so enjoy this the best way you can.**

**And by the way, the celtics beat the heat last night. awwwyeess. **

**ENJOY THIS CHAPTER, GUYS!**

**Love, Marchesa**

John Cena shook his head at his fiancée, who was looking out their window every two seconds with a worried look on her face. She was sitting across him, looking so cute as she shook in her seat. He nudged her knees with his foot, much to her annoyance.

"Stop it, John," she snapped, slapping his foot away. She took another glance at the window. "You're making me twitchy."

He jumped from his seat and scooped her in his arms, twirling her around the room. Dionne couldn't help but squeal in delight when he put her down. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, trying to relieve her of her stress.

"So know _you're _worried about punctuality?" John teased, trying to lighten the mood further. Everyone in the world knew Dionne Vladavitch's clock was always screwed two hours late. She _never _came on time for anything. John even remembered Svetlana making a reference towards her one night.

Which was also the same night they had professed their love for each other.

John looked down at Dionne, so sweet and kind, and he thought about what he was hiding from her. How would she react if she knew? He couldn't stand the thought of hurting her, fragile as she was. But then again, he thought of Svetlana. The woman of his dreams, the person he had been obsessed with these past months. She symbolized everything he could ever want and need in a woman and for the past months, he had been truly in love with her.

_Stop it. Stop thinking about her. You're with Dionne now and she's all that matters._

Dionne swatted him playfully on the arm but she sighed, turning worried again. She flopped herself on the couch. "I just don't understand what's taking them so long."

John sat down next to her, playing the part of doting fiancé by rubbing her shoulders to ease her anxiety. Here he was, thinking about himself when Dionne needed him. He was going to be such a lousy husband. "This would be a lot easier if you just told me who your friends are. Randy's here, anyway, so what's the problem? Who knows, maybe she's my long-lost sister or some shit like that."

"Definitely not. She's _way _too hot to be related to you," Dionne answered quickly with a smirk.

John gasped dramatically. "Oh no you didnt."

"Oh yes I did."

Thus began the cat-chase all over the Cena household. Finally, John managed to corner Dionne in the kitchen. Heather, John's personal chef, was preparing their Christmas dinner and at the moment, she had just managed to take the last batch of brownies out of the oven. She was in front of the fridge, the baking tray cowering with her, as she stood in confusion at this exchange.

"Take it back." They circled the large countertop, each one refusing to give up.

Dionne giggled. She never made it easy for him. "_Make _me, John."

But before John could make her pay, the doorbell rang. Dionne gasped and ran to the door.

"That _has _to be them!" she called from the living room.

"Bring them here, okay?" John, exhausted from their game, decided to wait back in the kitchen for a breather. Heather handed him a glass of water, along with a hot brownie. He was hoping to relax for a while but even from his comfortable spot in the kitchen, he could hear three distinct voices screaming at the top of their lungs.

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

"GIANA, IT'S YOU!"

"CONGRATULATIONS, BABE!"

Their squeals were enough to rattle the entire house. From the kitchen, he saw Randy coming down the stairs with Sam.

"Is something on fire?" Randy asked, seeing John sitting on a stool in the kitchen. Sam was looking elegant behind him. They _obviously _heard all the ruckus outside. They both took a stool across John and devoured the sweets that Heather served in front of them.

The three women were still talking excitedly at the front door.

John chuckled and shook his head. He took a chocolate raisin from a plate. "Nope, but there might as well be one."

"Are Dionne's friends here?" Sam asked, intrigued. She took a Christmas-tree cookie and fed it to Randy.

John nodded, popping another raisin in his mouth. "She's really excited for me to meet them. But if they're this noisy all the time, I don't think I can stand the entire week."

Randy chuckled. "It's a package deal, John. Lord knows I learned my lesson with Sam."

Mrs. Orton gave him a look that could have withered a field of roses. "Don't be an _ass," _she told his husband and then she turned to John. "And _you _better wish they hadn't heard you. Just so you know, John, a woman greatly takes into account her friends' opinions and if you screw this up, you have only yourself to blame."

John sighed, knowing Sam was right. But Randy laughed even more. "Oh come _on, _Sam. We can't even joke around anymore?"

"She's right, bro," John intervened, seeing the dark look on Sam's face. Sometimes, Randy could be so immature.

Randy rolled his eyes just as another squeal echoed throughout the house. "God, who the _hell _are these people anyway?" He stood to poke his head through the glass door. But instead of cursing them out to the pits of hell, he gave a low whistle. "Hot dayum, Ms. Vladavitch sure knows how to pick her friends."

And with that, he walked out of the door and boomed, "Dionne, baby! Won't you introduce me to your friends?"

Sam gave John a confused look. Dionne's friends had begun laughing again. "I better go check on him." She stood from her stool but paused at the door "You coming with me?"

John nodded, aware that he was going to have to face Dionne's friends anyway. He followed Sam out of the kitchen to the front door where a huddle of people had formed.

But one face stood out from the rest. John blinked. Once. Twice. The angelic face didn't disappear.

_No fucking way._

Svetlana Pierce stood before him, her eyes blazing with intensity as she stared at him alone. Her look alone told him all he needed to know.

_She knew everything._

John gulped and he felt his heart plummet down to the ground.

"Holy Shit."


	11. Chapter 11

**You guys probably hate me right now. I haven't updated in 2 WEEKS! That's the longest I've gone EVER! But I thank my reviewers and readers who always stick with me anyway despite the inconsistency. I tried to make this as long as I could. (I hope 2000 words is long enough!) BTW, I love that John Cena's rapping again. I miss the TV14 days where ASS wasnt a bad word.**

**You probably wont get to hear from me till another week so enjoy this! **

**Love,**

**Marchesa**

Upon seeing the woman he had longed for all his life, every lame angel-related pickup line suddenly popped into his head. A _goddess _stood before him, in all her beautiful glory. Svetlana was dressed in an immaculate white floor length dress whose fabric looked like it was softer and lighter than a cloud. It was accentuated by a gold chain around the neckline and criss-crossing around her empire, making her fit for a meeting with Zeus at the Olympus. She wore her golden hair like a crown around her head, embedded with tiny pink roses that matched her stilettos. John had to blink to make sure she wasn't an apparition.

The only thing that was less-heavenly about her was the glare that she had on her flawless face and the frown on her mouth, which was probably for the best because John didn't know what he would have done if her dazzling smile was in place. (But he already knew the answer to that question – to put it simply, he probably would have jumped on her and fucked her senseless even in front of all those people.)

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" The angel spoke. It took a while for John to realize she was addressing him.

In a normal world, he probably would have answered _Nope, just you and my fiancée that I never told you about while we were sleeping together. Oh and she just happens to be your best friend! Did I mention that I love every bit of you?_

But this was a crazy world they lived in – where deception and dishonesty reigned supreme – so he laughed it off nervously and let the gregarious Randy cover for him.

"Way to make the first impression, Johnny!" Randy boomed. The whole party laughed, even Svetlana. But the smile was quickly wiped off of her face again when Dionne crossed the room to take John's hand.

"Don't take Via too seriously, John. She just loves a laugh," Dionne said with a chuckle. She rubbed his arm, with Svetlana staring right at them, making him feel more uncomfortable than ever.

"I'm totally kidding," Svetlana spoke in a voice that sounded genuinely happy. His breath came in gasps when she took small steps towards him "Trust me, my mouth's as bad as anyone's. I'm Svetlana Pierce, by the way."

She handled bullshit so well, John wanted to applaud her. He wanted so much to just explain everything to her to make her understand. He hated the thought of her mad because of him. Instead of shaking the dainty hand that she had raised, he did what he could to get as close to her as possible and took two large strides to envelop her in a quick hug before stepping away to stand beside Dionne.

"John Cena."

The look on her face was priceless.

Barely noticing anything, Dionne grabbed hold of John's shoulder and attempted (poorly) to turn his attention to Georgiana who was standing quietly beside Svetlana.

"This is Georgiana. She _just _flew in from the Middle East."

Georgiana smiled warmly at John before giving him the once-over. She did this a lot to strangers, John presumed. "Damn your huge."

Dionne rolled her eyes but John chuckled, "Yeah I get that a lot. Nice to meet you. I wish I could say Dionne has told me all about you, but she's done a pretty good job at keeping your identities a secret."

John swore he heard Svetlana snort.

Georgiana nodded, almost dramatically. "Tell me about it. I didn't even know that she and Hector had broken up." Georgiana shook her head. "Anyway, you can call me Giana. It's not so much of a mouthful that way."

"Giana then," John repeated, liking her already. How he wished Svetlana could be as simple. John remembered Randy and Sam standing behind him and was quick to introduce them to the new arrivals.

"This is my best friend, Randy," John gestured to his tall and muscular companion and then moved his hand to the spot where Sam was standing. "And this is Samantha, his wife."

The ladies shook hands with the couple. Randy was charming as ever, making Svetlana and Giana laugh ever so often. He always seemed to get along with everyone. He was the more sociable between the two of them. John envied his spirit, now more than ever, that he was able to put a smile on Svetlana's face so effortlessly while he was trying so hard for her to just _talk _to him. Randy was capable of such pleasantry without being too flirty and it was obvious to everyone that he was in love with his wife. He always made sure that his arm was secured around Sam's waist and that he could throw her a compliment every now and then.

John noticed that he, meanwhile, had his hands folded at his back. He discreetly slipped his arm around Dionne's shoulders and upon the gesture, she gave him the kindest of smiles. He gave her a small kiss on the tip of her nose. He had to pay attention to remember these small things. He couldn't just keep on thinking about Svetlana for the rest of his life. Dionne was his future. It was about time he started taking it seriously.

"Guys," Dionne cut in with a shake of her head after Randy had joked about the high pitch of their voices earlier. Her hand grazed lightly around John's arm. "You do realize that we're still at the front door?"

Giana looked behind her to where the door was still agape. Their bags had yet to make it to the threshold. "Wow, you're right. We should probably get our bags now, Vi."

Svetlana had barely moved when John instinctively pulled away from Dionne to beat them to the front door.

"Let me help you with that," John offered.

Giana picked up a leather satchel with a laugh. "Oh you'll regret it, John. Svetlana isn't exactly what you'd call a light packer."

John couldn't help himself as he smirked at Svetlana, well aware of this fact. Often, when they would meet, she would still be carrying her luggage with her, which normally would include a large trunk, two duffels and three to five hand carries. Of course, that would only hold true if she was going on a two-day trip. He wondered how many of those bags she would have to carry on a week-long vacation. He even remembered that they had done it while she was sitting on one of her LV suitcases.

_Woah, easy there big boy._

Dionne was leading Sam and Randy to the kitchen. She called behind her back, "We'll be waiting at the table. Don't take too long. We'll get your bags to your rooms later. You can just leave them at the living room right now. John, give them a hand okay?"

"Sure babe. We'll be right there." John jogged over to where Giana and Svetlana were bending over their bags. Giana was already picking up her last bag while Svetlana was still halfway through.

Giana ran to the living room. John presumed he was afraid she would have to help Svetlana with her bags. But before she disappeared, she called out, "I smell roast beef! Good luck with the help, John!"

John saw Svetlana roll her eyes as she forced her suitcase into the front door. She stumbled on her heels and almost lost her balance if it wasn't for John to hold her up. She wouldn't even meet his eyes when she had regained control.

"I can handle it," she said icily.

She stumbled again.

John sighed, stopping her before she could go further. "Via."

He saw her gulp. She finally forced herself to look him in the eye and it hurt him to see how much hatred was evident in her face. "Don't you dare call me that ever again."

"I'm sorry," he begged, his grip tightening on her arm.

"For what exactly? For leaving me that morning in the hotel room? For telling me you loved me when you had a _fiancée? _For neglecting to mention that you were sleeping with my _best friend _the same time you were hooking up with me? Which one are you guilty for; the deception, the dishonesty or the adultery?" she ranted bitterly. A pool was starting to form in her eyes but she wasn't about to break down here.

John took a step forward and Svetlana took one back.

His voice was pained when he said, "For everything. I wanted so badly to tell you. I never wanted to hurt you. And please believe me when I say that everything I said was truthful."

Her eyes turned deadlier than ever. "Cut the bullshit. I can handle the truth. What I can't stand is to be lied to my face. Now, if you don't have the decency to tell me the truth, then save your breath because I'm not hearing a word of it."

He finally decided he couldn't take it any longer. He pulled her fiercely to him. As their bodies grew closer, she stifled a gasp. His face was just a breath away, his lips grazing at her mouth's opening.

"With all my heart, I loved you. Since the first time I met you, I loved you. Even now, I love you. More than you'll ever know, I love you," he whispered. He felt her shiver in his embrace. She finally broke down and melted in his arms. He held her closer as she wept.

At that moment, John knew he couldn't lie to himself anymore. He knew that he could never leave Svetlana's side again. They were meant to be together. The warmth he felt with her arms around his waist was better than anything he had ever felt in the world. He knew this was where he needed to be. He planted a kiss to her forehead, promising to himself that he would never let her go.

"I can't do this," she uttered finally. She pulled away from him and took a few steps back to distance herself from him. John reached out for her but she moved away again. The fear in her eyes was gone and it was replaced by that of an astounding fury.

"Do you really think some sweet words will cancel out everything else that you've done?" she demanded, her eyes boring into his. He wanted nothing more than to kiss away the pain that was clear in her eyes. "You say you love me now, but what happens when we get into that room with Dionne? Will you still love me enough to let her go? You obviously chose her over me so how can you stand there and say that you love me?"

It took a while for John to speak but he answered in the most truthful way he could manage. "Because it's the truth."

She laughed bitterly. "You know what the truth is? The truth is that you obviously can't make up your own fucking mind for yourself. You're screwed over. If the situation was different, I would pity the fool that falls in love with you. But you certainly fooled us enough, John. I deserve more than your lies. My best friend – your _fiancée_ deserves more than your lies."

John could feel his entire body grow numb. The only thing that he felt was the beat of his heart, but even that was slowly starting to fade.

"I'm through with you. You'd know better than to speak to me again. I hope you straighten up your fucked up life in time for the wedding. I can't have my best friend marrying a screw-up." Svetlana stormed into the house, leaving John heartbroken and numb.

He was definitely a screw up, all right.


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**WOW GUYS. It's been too damn long! I'm sorry I just kind of lost interest in writing for a while. It wasn't even a writer's block or anything I just felt like it wasnt worth anything anymore. I'm back though and I hope it's for good. I really miss writing and reading your reviews. :) Thanks for sticking with me and y'all this is for you!**

**Love, Marchesa**

"Don't touch a thing of Via's crap. It might explode once you open it."

Svetlana scowled at Giana when Dionne had approached her to help, although her rage had nothing to do with her friend's mockery.

She was just seriously pissed at one John Cena right now.

Not only did he have the nerve to lie about having a fucking _fiancée, _he had to play bullshit with her again and told her he still loved her. Really, asshole? After practically fawning all over her in front of her face? Svetlana shook her head and mentally cursed him again.

"Who's an asshole, Via?" Giana inquired from the bed, giving her best friend a strange look.

_Oh fuck had I really said that out loud?_

"Yeah you did."

Svetlana sealed her lips shut. "I was probably just referring to you, Giana."

Giana didn't bother to respond with anything but a gesture.

"For real though, is something bothering you?" Dionne asked, sounding genuinely worried. She waved Giana's finger away. "You've been acting weird since dinner."

Svetlana inwardly groaned. The thing about Dionne was that she noticed _everything. _Most of the time, when she was secretly going to explode or when she really needed to cry, it was the best thing in the world. But when Svetlana was trying to keep secrets, it really was more difficult than anyone could imagine.

Especially when that secret included sleeping with her fiancé.

At dinner, Svetlana had spent the entire time trying to avoid John. She figured it would be pretty easy but fate had other plans. Because of their little conversation in the porch, they had been late for dinner and were forced to sit together in the two remaining seats. The whole time she had to either stuff her face so she couldn't talk to John or else listen to John's mom brag about how proud she was that her son was finally getting married. Either way, the whole situation was quite uncomfortable. Svetlana could feel Dionne was throwing her worried looks but she just smiled weakly at her and stuffed her face even more. She was just too observant for her own good.

Times like these made Svetlana hate her best friend even more. The crazy thing was that there was absolutely _nothing _that you could hold against her. Couldn't she be a bitch for just _five seconds? _Surely no one could be so perfect.

But annoyingly, Dionne was just that. Svetlana looked at how carefully she was laying out her chiffon skirt so it didn't wrinkle and she knew exactly what had attracted John to her. She was thoughtful and sweet – everything that John is. Svetlana, meanwhile, had a stronger personality, one that she was very upfront about. She called out everyone that needed to be and was hardly scared of anything. She and Georgiana were much alike and that was probably why they acted like her big sisters despite the fact that Dionne was almost a decade older than them.

Svetlana sighed, knowing that thinking about how kind Dionne was would just make her even more jealous than she allowed herself to admit. She sat down on the plush carpet of the guest room next to Dionne and moved her trunk closer to herself.

"Not at all," Svetlana smiled in what she hoped would be in a convincing way. "I just remembered one of these paparazzi dudes spilling my coffee over me."

Her best friends broke into laughter and what followed was an hour-long discussion of how half of the people in the media were gentlemen and how the rest were just classless. Before long though, Dionne noticed that Svetlana was barely joining in the conversation and was busy with her clothes.

"Via, I can help you with – "

"I can handle this, Dionne. Georgiana's looking like she's settled in, too. Don't you worry about us. It's been a long night. Go play with your fiancé or something," Svetlana teased, although it took a lot of willpower to do so.

Georgiana giggled from one of the four poster beds. "I don't know if I'm allowed to say this but he's _unbelievably hot _for someone who's thirty five years old."

_Thirty two. Get your facts straight._

"Oh shut up Giana," Dionne said, the red patches forming in her cheeks. Svetlana's unreasonable hatred for her was bubbling again. "You're forgetting Brad Pitt is forty."

"Hey excuse me for trying to compliment your fiancé." Georgiana rolled her eyes. "How in the world did you land him anyway?"

Dionne bit her lip to hide a smile and Svetlana immediately felt nauseous. She could feel it coming. The how-we stories; how we met, how we spent our first date, how we kept this whole thing a secret. Svetlana knew she had to get away before she had to pretend to act like she was happy for Dionne and giggle at her stories. Her eyes zeroed in on the door.

"So one day I was – "

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom," Svetlana blurted out and quickly ran for the door, shutting it behind her before she could see Dionne and Georgiana's confused faces.

She stopped in front of the door, resting her forehead against it. How long was she supposed to run away from all this? Surely, she would have to swallow down the fact that Dionne was with John now. They were probably going to be lovey-dovey and sweet in front of everyone because they had the right to do so. Svetlana sighed. She was such a hypocrite. Her feelings hadn't changed a single bit for John. In fact, at his confession in the porch, it took a Herculean effort for her to pull away from his embrace. This moving on thing was proving to be harder than she thought.

"Moving on from what?"

Svetlana stiffened. She didn't need to turn back to know who it was. She decided quickly what to do and found herself with quite a devious plan. A smirk formed in her lips.

"Moving on from the fact that the love of my life is gone forever."

She heard him gasp. He took two steps forward before his warm hands, snaking around her waist, produced a new exciting feeling in her.

"Baby I'm right here," he breathed in her ear.

And that was when she turned around and smiled. "What took you so long, Rajon?"


	13. Chapter 13

**HEY GUYS! I'M BACK! :) I don't know why this chapter was so hard to write but I'm glad I got to finish it quick. I'd like to thank to of my most faithful readers wwechaingangbabe and cena's baby doll. You guys are the best! :)) By the way guys, I've started posting some of Svetlana's outfits on my profile. I seem to have deleted the ones from the first chapter, though. I hope you can go check it out. I had to bribe my brother to make a twitter account so I can post them because my family is prejudiced against social networking. **

**And I'm also thinking about editing this story's summary. I'm not digging it too much. Maybe you guys can help me? If you can, thanks a mill!**

**LASTLY. I'm aware that Rajon Rondo is totally out of character in this story. For those of you who DONT watch basketball, in real life, Rajon's not exactly very charismatic. To put it simply, he wouldn't say more than two words unless absolutely necessary. And he rarely ever smiles. But don't worry. It's sort of part of the plot.**

**I hope you guys stay tuned! Read and review please? Love you all!**

**Love, **

**Marchesa**

"I'm sorry I'm late. The bus took longer than I thought," Rajon said, giving her forehead a kiss. He smelled like he had just taken a shower. He was wearing his standard Gucci tux with an LV backpack over his shoulder, looking in every sense a gentleman. Svetlana found his sense of style very alluring indeed. His boyfriend points were stacking up. "You miss me?"

Svetlana's lips twitched. "Maybe."

"I know for a fact that's a lady's way of saying yes. And you just practically said you loved me," he pushed on, returning her smirk.

"They don't mean the same thing, Jonny. And what makes you think I meant you?" she challenged. Svetlana liked this game they were playing.

Rajon brought his face closer to hers. "I have a few reasons."

Her eyebrows rose, urging him to go on.

"Well for one." He pulled her even closer, his lips just a breath away. "I'm incredibly hot."

Instinctively, she looked down at his chest and let her hands graze the hard muscle there. Good Lord was he right. Svetlana heard herself moan, much to his satisfaction. But she looked up at his smug face and faked a gagging noise.

"Ah, now be nice." His lips were sucking just beneath her ear now and she was slowly, slowly, rapidly melting. "Because two, you're enjoying this and you want me."

"Says you," she managed to gasp.

His mouth moved down to her exposed neck. She could feel his hot breath on her throat.

_Fuck this feels good._

"So says you're goose bumps too."

"Oh just shut up and kiss me, you tease," Svetlana panted.

His lips were on hers before she could take another breath. Rajon had pushed her against the door with staggering force that her head had hit the wood quite hard but every other part of her was in ecstasy that it hardly even mattered. His kiss was urging, demanding and for Svetlana, exciting. It was such a change from what she was used to – the soft and slow – but she found that she enjoyed this intensity so much more. She just felt so perfect for the first time in a long time.

So of course, the door had to open.

"Sweet Jesus!"

Svetlana and Rajon toppled over to the guest room, much to the surprise of the two women who were currently occupying it. Svetlana's head had bounced off the carpeted floor and this time, she rubbed at the spot that was hurting there. Beside her, she saw Rajon wincing as he propped himself up and for a moment, their eyes met and instantly, they broke into laughter.

"Oh my God, you guys, I'm such an idiot," came Dionne's pleading voice as she hurried to help Svetlana up. Her flushed face was enough to tell Svetlana that she had been the one who opened the door. "We were worried the dogs were going at it again."

Svetlana could practically smell the smirk on Georgiana's face. "Well Dionne, I wouldn't say _dogs. _Maybe bunnies would be more accurate," she teased as she pulled Rajon up. Svetlana kicked her leg. "It's nice to see you again, Rajon. Although I think this wasn't how you planned on meeting us again."

Rajon's face had gone red. "Definitely not. Let's try this again, shall we? Good day Georgiana! Do you remember me? I'm Rajon Rondo." He spoke in a horrible British accent, causing everyone in the room to chuckle.

Georgiana dutifully played along. Her British was much more convicing. "Oh _of course _I do! It's _splendid _to see you again Rajon. Please do come inside the room and make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea?" She made a show of opening an invisible door, which Rajon stepped into, and served an invisible tray, from which Rajon took an invisible cup. Svetlana was giggling wildly as she watched their ridiculous display.

"Thank you, dear. Beautiful room you have here." He turned to Dionne. "Ah, the lovely Ms. Vladavitch. I hear Congratulations are in order for you and Mr. Cena! Brilliant news indeed! Is he not here?"

"I'm afraid he has taken to bed, Sir," Dionne said, much to general astonishment. She had half expected her to shy away from Rajon like she always does when attention was brought on her but Svetlana was pleasantly surprised to see her best friend was enjoying this just as much as she was. "But he shall be honoured to meet you. If you don't mind Rajon, I couldn't help but notice the lady behind you. Won't you introduce us to the lovely woman you have brought along?"

Rajon turned to Svetlana, who had the biggest smile on her face as he approached her slowly. Her face was flaming up with every step he took.

"Alas, I doubt anyone could help but notice her, beautiful as she is," he spoke. Svetlana could very well melt at his penetrating gaze.

_John who?_

"Dionne, darling, I believe Rajon and Svetlana are in dire need of a _room _right now. Shall we go outside and explore your expansive abode?" Georgiana dragged Dionne out of the room in a fit of giggles.

Svetlana turned even redder. "No wait, you guys. That's totally unnecessary. You don't have to leave."

Rajon's fingertips trailing down her spine made her wish she hadn't said a word.

Somehow, Georgiana had sensed this. She wagged her eyebrows at her. "I'll be fine on the couch. Consider this my Christmas present, honey." And with a wink, they were gone.

"Don't you think – "

Whatever Svetlana was about to say, she had absolutely forgotten for Rajon's lips were on hers again. This point guard was a damn good kisser. The entire length of his body ground against her and feminine power surged through her blood as she tasted his desire on her tongue and against her body.

"You've got too much crap on," she complained between kisses. Somehow, they were against a wall and he was straddling her. Her hand roamed the fine fabric of his coat. The inner fashionista in her told her this was anything but crap. But it wasn't like it mattered.

He chuckled lowly and made a point of shrugging off his tux. "Would you like to help with that?"

She responded by grabbing his tie and pulling him towards her. His lips travelled down to her neck and Svetlana had to bite her lip in ecstasy. Holy shit did she want him right now.

"Remind me to thank Georgiana for this," Svetlana told him.

She felt him smile against her throat. Without his lips leaving her neck, he used his free hands to unzip her delicate dress. Svetlana stepped out of the heap in which it had landed on the floor, barely conscious of the fact that she was now only in her underwear. Rajon watched her hungrily before finally getting rid of his tie and finished unbuttoning his polo. He carried her to the empty bed and feasted on the swell of her breasts. Her body arched against him in a manner that made him want to take her right then and there.

Svetlana was vaguely aware of anything but Rajon at the moment. He was so intoxicating that everything else was inconsequential. She thought she had heard a door open but paid no attention it, as Rajon continued to explore her body. And the moment he slipped into her, she felt whole again. Happiness. It was so strange to feel it again after being alienated from it these past few weeks.

Rajon noticed the smile on her face a while later. He pulled her closer to him.

"I'll never get tired of seeing you smile."

Svetlana turned so that she was facing him. She propped herself on her elbow so she could give him a kiss. "Merry Christmas, babe."

"Best thing I've heard all day," he said, kissing her back before he stood to go to the bathroom. "I'll be right back.

Svetlana watched him as he entered the bathroom, wrapping the covers around her. She let herself smile again but not after she noticed that the door was slightly agape. Confused, she wrapped the comforter around her even tighter and walked up to the door. She could've sworn Dionne and Georgiana had closed it when they had left.

But that's when something silver caught her eye on the floor. She looked around the hallway first. It seemed to be deserted. She bent over and found that they were actually dog tags. Intrigued, she began scanning the names on it and what she read made her freeze.

_John Cena. Carol Cena. Matt Cena. Dan Cena. Steve Cena. Sean Cena. _

Fuck.

She flipped it over and what she saw made her mouth drop to the ground.

_Svetlana Pierce_

"Baby, what's wrong?"

Svetlana jumped in surprise at the sound of Rajon's voice. A towel was draped around his waist while drops of water were sliding down his chest. Her hand gripped tighter at the piece of jewellery she had discovered.

"I just found something out by the door. I think someone must have left it on their way out," she said and was surprised that her voice broke twice.

Rajon shrugged as he changed into his boxers. "Or his way in."

Svetlana hoped to God he was wrong.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey Guys! I'm here again! I decided to make this quick since my brother and I are going to visit my dad in L.A for the weekend. (My parents are divorced blah blah) I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the last chapter, especially the dog tag part. I actually did some research about that and so far, John's been very discreet about it. WWE had wanted five minutes with the thing, to get pictures and stuff, but he didn't want the reporter even touching it. He did say though that he had (and I quote) "my family members on there, and everyone who is special to me". I thought it would be a good angle. **

**Thanks to BigRedMachineUK (so glad you're back! loved your story) wwechaingangbabe (my favorite reviewer?) and cena's baby doll (you make ME excited when I read your reviews!). You guys are just AWESOME! :)) Thanks for sticking with me. **

**I think you guys should know that I'm not such a big fan of happy endings. I've got nothing against a good happily ever after but when this story ends, I want it to be as realistic as possible. I still don't know how or when I'm going to end this but I'll get there soon enough. I just hope you guys will still be there when it does.**

**Congratulations to The Champ for defending his title at Over The Limit! Okay, it was pretty stupid how he won but I'll take what I can. ;)**

**OH GUYS BTW, I enabled the anonymous reviews. So you can review now without me knowing you. Uh, yeah. **

**Now I'm just rambling. I'm going to shut up now. ENJOY THIS GUYS!**

**Love,**

**Marchesa**

John Cena had begun referring to his love life as a crashing plane and he was the drunken pilot who had caused its demise. He contemplated this as he sat in bed on Christmas Eve, already having finished two glasses of whiskey with the one in his hand only half full. The love of his life hated his guts and he was about to marry the sweetest person on earth whom he still wasn't sure he felt strongly enough for. He doubted even Tiger Woods had never encountered anything as twisted.

He sighed, rubbing his index finger on his temple. He pulled out his dog tag from underneath his shirt and ran a finger over the names that had been carefully etched there. His hand stopped at his brother, Matt's name. He wished to God he had been here. He'd been married for some time now and he just wished for someone he could talk to. But he was a policeman and so were Sean and Dan. So they were in Boston instead, spending the Holidays with the rest of his brothers while he was stuck to deal with their parents.

He flipped the tag over and there was Svetlana's name. Unconsciously, he was almost caressing her name with his thumb. He had it carved the day after their first night together in the spur of the moment. He could have always asked to take it off but he didn't have the heart to. He felt that she belonged there, along with the rest of the people in his life who were most important to him.

So why wasn't Dionne's name there? He honestly didn't know. He had thought of having her name carved to but he always seemed to talk himself out of it. He knew it was crazy. They would be married soon and she was bound to find Svetlana's name there and hers, missing.

John gulped down his drink, his body tingling with the alcohol. Svetlana's words were echoing in his head, making him feel even sorrier for himself. He knew she was right. He definitely didn't deserve Dionne, considering everything he was keeping from her. He chuckled miserably at the tags without her name on it and knew it was so much more than that. But he couldn't stand upsetting her. She was the kindest and therefore the most fragile person he knew and of course, he knew how greatly she cared for him. He thought of how impossibly sweet she was, how amazingly thoughtful. Dionne had this almost angelic aura about her and it rubbed off on everyone else and he knew it from the first moment he laid eyes on her at that Make A Wish event where the had met.

John barely noticed that a smile was already on his face.

He stood up, then, knowing what he had to do. He had to make things right with his fiancée. Svetlana had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with him. He had to move on.

He walked out of their master bedroom and unto the hallway that led to the guest room where Dionne was. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, as if he was a new man. He still had the dog tag in his hand and it was giving him more strength now than in any match before. Tomorrow, he would have Dionne's name on it and Svetlana's would be gone. He owed her that much. He owed himself that much.

As he neared the door to the guest room, he noticed an abandoned backpack by the door. His brows furrowed. He thought he had carried all of Georgiana and Svetlana's stuff inside the room. He put a hand on the doorknob, his heart beating fast. _Just tell her what you really feel, John. Tell Dionne how much she means to you._

John shook his head, then. God he sounded like such a _girl. _

But what he heard made it drop to the ground. He knew all too well what those moans and grunts could mean. With his curiosity taking over him, he cracked the door open and in that instant, he wished he hadn't.

Svetlana was standing against a wall in nothing but her underwear. The sight of her was enough to hold a man speechless and any woman envious. Her chest heaved and he watched her breasts rise and fall. A dark figure suddenly blocked his view of her. It carried her to the bed and John had to push the door further to get a better view. He hovered over her before to his utter horror, his lips crashed down on hers.

The dog tag slipped from his fingers.

He didn't even bother closing the door as he dashed as fast as he could, as far away as he could. His excitement to make things right with Dionne had dissolved the second he had seen Svetlana. She looked so beautiful, so enticing as she stood there in her underwear. It reminded him of the times they were together, when things were less complicated and when she was all his. He hadn't expected it would hurt so much to see her with another.

He could hear his heart breaking in his chest.

John had found his way back to his bedroom. In a daze, he landed on the king-size bed and reached over the maple counter to grab the glass of whiskey he had left. He gulped the remains down in seconds. After a while, the bottle beside him had gone completely empty. He wanted to forget he had even seen anything, forget he had known anything. It hurt too much. He didn't even know why he was kidding himself. He would never move on from Svetlana. She would always be there, like some kind of disease that just kept coming and coming. He had no immunity from her. He felt his cheeks go damp.

Fuck. Now he was crying. He had really out-pussied himself.

John balled his fists, trying to feel for the cold metal of his dog tags. He knew it would make him feel at ease, even for just a while. But he found that his palm was empty. He cursed again. How could he have been so stupid? He must have left it at his hurry to get away from the disgusting sight of Svetlana and the man she was with.

He didn't know how long he was lying there but John was sure it was a long fucking time since the moment a phone's ring had woken him up, the sun was already out. He could feel his brain throbbing in his skull. He had never been so wasted in his life.

The fucking phone kept ringing.

John looked around for the origin of the ring and found that it was coming from Dionne's phone in the dresser. He dragged himself there to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said drowsily.

"Ms. Vladavitch is this you?" a perky female voice was asking.

"Uhm." John rubbed his head. "She's not here at the moment."

"Oh, that's too bad really. This is Chelsea, from Dr. Miller's clinic. I know it's a bit early but I was just calling to confirm her appointment for next Saturday."

John looked confused. He hadn't remembered Dionne mentioning anything about a doctor to him or maybe it was just because he was barely sober that he hardly remembered anything. "I had no idea about this appointment. I'll gladly pass the message on, though."

"That would be great. Dr. Miller is quite booked on the day, you see. We have quite a waiting list but we made sure Ms. Vladavitch was a top priority."

John didn't quite know what to say. "Uh, thanks? I'll ask her to call you back later today. You wouldn't mind that, would you?"

"Not at all, thank you. May I ask who this is? I'll need identification. Strictly for security purposes, though," Chelsea from Dr. Miller's clinic inquired.

John rolled his eyes. "This is her fiancé. The name's John Cena."

"Oh!" she exclaimed and John could hear the tone in her voice change. "Are you the father, then?"

John's jaw dropped. _What the fuck?_ "Excuse me?"

"I'm so sorry sir! I only assumed - you are her fiancé after all – I really am sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It was wrong for me to think that." She was stammering now, reminding him of Dionne when she was nervous.

"Let's slow down, okay? Take it easy," John said, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "What kind of clinic do you run anyway?"

"You don't know? She didn't tell you?" she asked in a small voice.

"Just – " John struggled to control himself. "Please just answer the question."

Annoyingly, she didn't answer right away. He could sense her hesitation.

"Just say it! Or I swear to God - "

"An abortion clinic, sir."


	15. Chapter 15

**WHAT'S UP GUYS! Wow I loved the feedback from the last chapter! You guys seemed so into the whole thing. Those were probably the three longest reviews you guys wrote. LOL. Not that I'm complaining. To be honest, I finished this chapter the same day I posted the last one. Let's just say I was VERY inspired. ;) I wanted to post this right away for you guys. :)))**

**Shout out once again to the most inspiring reviewers ever, BigRedMachineUK, wwechaingangbabe and cena's baby doll. Do you guys check your PMs? Because I pretty much respond to your reviews there. :D **

**Lookie there! Me has an avatar now! This is my personal tribute to the deceased TV14 smackdown Cena. Remember the guy who said whatever he wanted to say in the mic? The guy who hosted 5 questions? The wannabe white rapper? I miss him too. **

**Suprisingly, I haven't got much to rant about today so here it goes! I hope you enjoy this, guys!**

**Love, **

**Marchesa**

John listened to the baseball as it bounced off the wall of his bedroom. He was still lying on the bed he had been wasted on the past seven hours. The thud-thud of the ball as it launched back and forth from his hand and to the ceiling was the only thing keeping him from ripping the hair out of the woman in front of him.

"So it's true then." He cursed himself when another tear slipped down his cheek. When had he gotten so sentimental? This PG 13 hero thing was definitely getting to him.

He had never seen Dionne look so scared. Maybe if he was a nosy neighbour looking in from their bedroom window, he would be horrified at the sight of her. Her face was pale and you could see her hands shaking from ten miles away. Her eyes, usually so bright, were now anguished. She was biting her lip like it could save her from the wrath that she was sure to come. The moment he had spoken again, John saw the tears come down on her face. She looked so different from the Dionne that he knew.

Or at least, thought he knew.

Finally, her voice cracking, she managed to ask, "How did you find out?"

The ball stopped thudding as John expertly caught it in his hand. He didn't even look at her. "I really don't think you should be worrying about that right now."

Dionne looked down at the floor, sniffing. "I – "

"Just tell me this," John continued. The ball was hitting the ceiling harder. Dionne winced ever time it made a loud thud. "Who's the father? I think we both know for a fact that it isn't mine."

He could hear her whimpering and still John refused to look at her or stop throwing the ball. The whole time they were together, he hadn't gone as far as kissing her because she would always tell him she wasn't ready. He had respected that about her and never tried to make her uncomfortable in any way. He figured that she would come along when she was ready. Turns out, she was more experienced than he thought.

When she hadn't answered right away, John continued in an almost taunting voice, "It was Hector."

Her growing sobs told him that he had been right.

"So are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to go find the asshole myself?" He sounded so menacing, so much angrier than he had been in his entire life. He finally decided to meet her eyes. "But when do you _ever _tell me when something's wrong anyway? Dionne, not everything is going to be perfect, you know that. Don't you think I notice how much you try to make sure everything's perfect? It's like nothing mediocre is ever good enough for you. But Di, sometimes, things won't turn out the way you planned."

She surprised him with a snort. "Yeah, I think I can testify to that."

She seemed to wither when he had glared at her. Dionne breathed in deeply and began her story. John listened in as she told him more about her life in the next hour than she had in the last nine months of their relationship.

Apparently, Hector and Dionne hadn't broken up at good terms. She had found out that he was a drug dealer and for a few months, she had hoped he would stop. But when it was obvious he wouldn't quit she had confronted him about it. It turned ugly. He began lashing out at her, telling her she couldn't possibly leave him, that he needed her. She left before he could do anything to hurt her. But a little over three months ago, he had come back to her apartment with the promise that he was a changed man. He had quit dealing for her, to be better for her. He told her he had found a decent job working for a pharmaceuticals company and was ready to start over.

Dionne shook her head at the memory. "I told him he was too late. I already had you. But he was determined to have me back. So I thought I would just invite him over to the house for old time's sake." She paused then. She pursed her lips and looked up at the ceiling. "I guess I shouldn't have been so gullible."

John's eyes widened. "He took advantage of you?"

Dionne looked at him with sad eyes. "I wish I could say that but I – I let him do it, John. I missed him so I let him do it."

John looked away from her. Dionne approached him. She sat beside him at the bed, putting a hand on his cheek.

"Please, John," she pleaded in between tears. He still stubbornly turned his face away. "It was one night; One mistake. I'm willing to answer for it but please tell me you forgive me. I love you more than anything, you know that."

John closed his eyes and let his tears freely fall. He was just so angry. Dionne had betrayed him in the worst possible way and it had hurt him. But he cried even harder when he thought about how he did the exact same thing to her. He thought about Svetlana and how all those times, he could have gotten her pregnant. He would have hurt her just as much as he was hurting right now. This whole relationship had been based on a cover-up of lies and feelings.

"I know what you're going through and I forgive you," John finally told her. Dionne practically cried herself into her relief but her face wrinkled up in worry when she turned to face him again. She felt the 'but' coming.

"But I don't think this relationship is going to work."

Dionne's desperate voice pleaded with him. "Of course it is, baby. We're going to get through this. Once this baby's gone we can go back to the way we used to be. This is just... the first real fight we've ever been in. It still feels new to me too but – "

John shook his head. "Look, Dionne. I don't think our relationship is going to work because it's more than just that. This problem just made me realize how much I'm in love with someone else."

Of all things, he hated seeing the pained look on her face when he had said those words. She definitely hadn't expected that. She was silent for a long time.

"Who?" Her voice was barely a whisper that he thought he had been imagining it. "Do I know her?"

"Yes." He said automatically. John panicked, wondering what was going through her head.

"Tell me," she ordered in a deadly tone.

"It's Svetlana." The moment he said her name, a huge weight was lifted up his shoulders. He closed his eyes as he felt the most carefree that he ever had been in the last half year.

The door slammed and his eyes flew open. Dionne was gone.

_Oh shit. _He chased after her like his life depended on it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey I'm back again! Here's another product of my labour and I really hope you like this chapter guys. Things are getting pretty heated up and intense. I just hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Another shout out to my ever loyal reviewers, BigRedMachineUK, wwechaingangbabe and cena's baby doll. Ooh and I'd like to welcome my newest reviewer, randy4rkocenahardy ! I don't know where I would be without you guys.**

**OH and Svetlana's outfit for this chapter is on my profile. Check it out if you can.**

**Read and Review, please? :)**

**Love,**

**Marchesa**

"_No way._"

Svetlana eyed the walking sticks like they were venomous snakes that were ready to pounce on her. It was nearly noon and they had just finished their outdoor brunch. Now, everyone was gathered at the backyard for a game of piggyback polo. Basically, the women would have to ride piggyback on their respective male partners while attempting to hit the tennis ball with the walking stick to the opposite team's goal.

She had no problem at all riding Rajon's back with his arms around her legs as she poked a stick around but she certainly didn't spend the whole week before preparing her clothes for it to be wasted on the damp ground beneath the green grass that carpeted the backyard.

Rajon chuckled when she saw Svetlana looking down worriedly at her outfit. Her white and navy blue-striped jumpsuit and towering, fringed camel peep-toe heels weren't exactly the perfect thing to wear for an outdoor game. He walked towards her, pulling her to him as he took her brown floppy hat off of her head. Her curly hair cascaded down her back in beautiful swooshes.

"That looks so much better now, doesn't it?"

Svetlana glared at his adorable face. She knew what he was doing. "I'm _not _playing piggyback polo, okay? It even _sounds _ridiculous."

Randy approached them, then, apparently hearing what Svetlana had said. "Aw, come on Svetlana! You know it's going to be fun. But of course I perfectly understand if you think you couldn't take Mrs. Orton's unbelievable polo skills."

Randy winked at Sam, who had just picked up a walking stick. She rolled her eyes at her husband and turned to Svetlana, saying, "I don't see why we can't give it a try."

Svetlana made a face at Rajon, who was smiling so smugly like he had already won this fight. She playfully shoved him away but finally gave in, knowing it was pointless to argue with him. One look at that smile and she knew she couldn't refuse. She sighed as she walked over to the pile of sticks.

"Well then, game on bitches." She smirked to general laughter.

Georgiana emerged from inside the house. She held up two bright yellow tennis balls for them to see.

"It took me forever to find these at their stockroom," Georgiana said with a shake of her head. "You won't believe how many balls they have in there! John probably collects them for fun."

Randy shook his head as he took the ball Georgiana had handed out. "Nah. The lucky bastard gets them for free. You won't believe how many sports teams are after him."

"It's taking an awfully long time for Dionne to be coming back. Do you think maybe there's something wrong with John?" Sam noticed. Svetlana was just thinking of the exact same thing. Dionne had left right after brunch. She said she was going to go wake John up to be her partner for the piggyback polo game. It had been almost an hour, though and she still hadn't come back.

"Don't worry about them, honey," Randy soothed his wife with a kiss. "They're probably hooking up right now."

Everyone shared a laugh, even Svetlana. She was surprised to find that it was a real and genuine laugh. Maybe it had something to do with her finally getting over John? Or was it because of Rajon's steady arm around her shoulders? Either way, she liked this change.

"Do you think maybe we should wait for them?" Svetlana asked them.

But Georgiana snorted. She was already laying out two walking sticks on opposite sides of the backyard which Svetlana guessed was probably their goals. "No way, if Randy's right, they'll probably take all day considering how much John was drinking." She rolled her eyes as if this was the simplest thing in the world. "They can come join in later. Will y'all take your posts now, please?"

She pulled a whistle that Svetlana didn't notice was hung around her neck and blew on it loudly. Svetlana grimaced. "Who made you referee, anyway?"

"Considering I've been a seventh wheel this whole time, I think I'm entitled to that privilege," she stated matter-of-factly and blew on her whistle again. It was true, though. Georgiana was the only one left without a date. No matter how much she tried to downplay the whole thing, Svetlana knew she hated to be the odd one out. Harsh as it may be, that was Dionne's job most of the time, not hers. Svetlana mentally noted to set her up with one of the male models she met in Milan.

Svetlana grudgingly climbed unto Rajon's back but her mood was instantly lightened by the feel of his warm body against hers. It reminded her of their little sexcapade last night and she had to put on a smile. It was amazing how happy Rajon could make her feel. He could lift the whole world from her shoulders by just wrapping his arms around her.

She saw Sam doing the same, now riding comfortably on Randy's back. Svetlana had to admire the happy couple and vowed that she would get her happy ending someday. Rajon handed her the walking stick from the ground. She took it gingerly with her right hand, still feeling nervous for her Viktor & Rolf romper.

Georgiana asked the two teams to meet between the two goals where she had laid out a single tennis ball. "Remember to have fun everyone. On my whistle, three, two – "

"DIONNE STOP!"

All heads turned to the kitchen door to where Dionne was fuming her way out to the backyard, John running to keep up with her. Svetlana didn't even have time to analyze why Dionne was so furious before the wind was knocked out of her. She felt a heavy sting on her face as she fell to the ground. Dionne had pounced on her, knocking her to the ground so that Svetlana was beneath her. Dionne pulled on her hair and began screeching.

"YOU _WHORE!"_ she screamed at the top of her lungs as she tugged even tighter on the roots of Svetlana's hair. Svetlana cried out in pain.

"What the fuck are you doing to her!" Rajon tried to keep Dionne's violent hands away from Svetlana's face which was a really bad idea because though she had stopped pulling on hair and punching her face, her feet were now free to fly about the rest of Svetlana's body. Her body was aching all over and she felt the tears pour down her face.

This was when Georgiana decided to hover above her protectively. She eyed Dionne who was looking like a mental patient who didn't want any more shots. "What is _wrong _with you, Di?"

"I CANT BELIEVE YOU COULD DO THIS TO ME! THE FIRST FUCKING TIME I WAS HAPPY IN MY LIFE AND YOU DECIDE TO SCREW IT ALL UP! NOW HE WON'T EVEN ADMIT THAT HE LOVES ME! THIS IS _YOUR _FAULT YOU CANNIVING SLUT!" Dionne ranted on as if Georgiana hadn't spoken, while Rajon still restrained her. He gave Svetlana a look and he could sense his confusion.

That was when Svetlana cracked. She shoved Georgiana aside and stood up. Dionne had screeched and struggled in Rajon's arms but Svetlana moved past them to where John was standing. "_My _fault? Is that what you told her? That I lured you in with my sluttish ways?"

John turned pale. Her voice rose even higher.

"You fucking well know I had no idea you were keeping a girlfriend while you were sleeping with me! Do you really think I could knowingly do that my best friend?"

Dionne gasped disbelievingly. The sound resembled that of a whining dog. "SLEEPING WITH HER? _YOU WERE SLEEPING WITH HER?"_

Rajon finally let go of Dionne. Svetlana saw the most pained look on his face. He looked like the life was drained out of him. She gulped. "Rajon –"

He held up a hand and shook his head before trudging into the house. Svetlana cried even harder. "Wait, Jonny, please," she sobbed, trying to block his way.

He looked into her eyes and she saw them glistening. "I'll...call you," his voice cracked. He didn't look back at her again when he finally went into the house.

Her heart ached in the deepest way. How much could pain could that muscle handle anyway? She felt like it was going to burst.

"Know what it feels now, whore?" Dionne spat at her.

John glared at Dionne. _Why am I marrying this bitch again?_ "Don't act so innocent, Dionne. At least we bothered to use protection. Need I remind you _you're _the one who Hector knocked up here?"

It was everyone else's turn to gasp.

Dionne's face flamed but now she looked even readier to kill. She turned to Svetlana again. "Look what you did! You just can't stand seeing me happy can't you? MY FIANCE WON'T MARRY ME AND IT'S BECAUSE OF YOUR SLUTTY ASS!"

"_My _slutty ass?" She snorted, literally wanting to laugh. Dionne was really testing her breaking point. "Next time, find yourself some better cuss words please. You're the one who got yourself pregnant by a man who wasn't your husband! At least I was _single _with no knowledge that this bastard was in a fucking relationship with a _psycho _who I thought was my best friend. What's your excuse?"

Dionne finally shut her trap.

John took a step forward to console her. "Svetlana, I – "

Svetlana slapped his hand away. She certainly didn't want his pity right now. "Why is it that every time I feel like everything's perfect, you have to go ruin it? You just drove the person I loved away again. But the funny thing is, you were that person not a long time ago."

She couldn't believe how steady her voice was but it was only because it had no emotion at all. She was void of all feeling. She could _feel _the nothingness inside her.

John lifted her chin with his hand and looked into the beautiful face he loved. "I never stopped loving you."

She shook her head. "But you left. And I'm damn sure Rajon was never going to do that. I need him, John. Not you. Please just leave me alone. I don't know why but things always get complicated when you're around."

She retrieved his dog tag from the pockets of her jumper. "Here. I know you'll want to erase my name after this."

John knew he could never do that. He closed his fingers around the familiar metal although he wished he could wrap his fingers around her wrist and pull her towards him, hugging her, telling her it'll be all right.

But Svetlana had already turned her back to them. And to him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Here she is again! I'm a horrible person, I know. I really am sorry this took way too long. It's unforgivable. I've been through a great load of troubles the past half year but it's still no excuse for the horrible inconsistency. You guys deserve better than this. I understand perfectly if a great lot of my readers have abandoned me but I still wanted to write this anyway because I'm determined to finish this, no matter how long that might take.**

**Six(?) Months later and here it is! An update! Enjoy it guys :))**

**Love, Marchesa**

TWO MONTHS LATER

"For heaven's sake Via, _smile. _Isn't that what your paid to do?"

Svetlana groaned inwardly, annoyed at the fact that her brother had just called her out in front of a whole crew. But she had to admit, she was playing the bitch quite well. Since the start of the shoot, she had been giving everyone a hard time. The photographer – a gay newbie, from what she heard and quite the pushover – was quite ready to give up by the time Paul had scolded her. She just wasn't in the mood for some family calendar right now.

"You are April; full of life and joy! Let's see you be Svetlana of Spring!" the photographer squeaked.

After recovering from the gayest statement she heard in her life, she attempted to obey and tried to be as happy as the yellow and zebra printed toga dress she was wearing and flashed the fakest, most awkward smile she could muster. A couple more shots and the smile was becoming more natural but still with the obvious traces of withdrawal and restraint.

The photographer – Greyjoy was his name – finally got the shot he wanted and called it a wrap. Svetlana sighed in relief and left in a daze. But she couldn't avoid her brother's accusing glare, however and she obediently faced him when he called out for her.

"Will you tell me what's wrong or will you continue being a prick for the rest of the day?" Paul demanded. Frank, as always.

Svetlana felt even smaller than she already was next to her brother. More than anything else, she wanted to pour her heart out to her brother. She wanted to tell him how angry, frustrated and hurt she was. She wanted him to know how the Christmas Vacation felt like a funeral week where she had to bury all her happiness, all her hopes but the ghosts kept coming, anyway. She wanted him to tell her it was going to be okay and that he was going to kick the prick's ass for hurting her.

But no. She couldn't drag him into this too. "Bad day is all."

Paul eyed her knowingly. "You've never been much of a liar, have you?"

_Oh, if only you knew. _"No. Not really," she half lied. "Especially with you." That was true.

Paul sighed and held her shoulders. "We're all allowed our bad days, Via but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on the people around you. Innocent people, at that. There are good people in here, sis. You know better."

"I know. It was very unprofessional of me. It won't happen again." She took a deep breath, still unable to look her brother in the eye. She was afraid her mouth might betray her and start spilling everything out. "I hope Greyjoy's happy with the shots? I could do it again, if you want. Just... not today. I'm not so much in the mood."

"And you're seriously not going to tell me what's happening? It won't take a neurologist to figure out something happened last Christmas. Is that what's bothering you? Whether it was good or bad, you've definitely changed since then. Hell, even Rajon is acting weirder than he normally does. Doc's getting really disappointed with his recent performances," her brother observed and she cursed him for it. Damn the people in the world. Were they always this attentive? "Did you know he was already at Waltham on Christmas night? And we didn't have a game until the end of the week. No one else on the team has noticed yet but I know better. What _happened, _Via?"

Her hand balled up into fists. Svetlana hated talking or thinking about Rajon. It made her feel worse every day knowing she hurt him so much. He had really cared about her, she knew that from the pained look on his face when he found out. He had called, like he said but only to tell her that he was already boarding a plane back home. She hadn't heard from him since.

It was getting really hard stacking one lie on top of the other. "It's a lot complicated, Paul. There's so much going on," she said sadly. "But I'll tell you everything...someday. Then it'll all be clearer. Just stop worrying about me, okay? I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

She could tell Paul wasn't willing to let it go. She hugged him one last time and hoped he could be assured by that. She even smiled for his benefit. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Paul walked her to her make-up room and when she was alone, she felt like shit again. Everything in her life had gone horribly wrong all because of love. Stupid love. She wanted to trample it over with a bulldozer and hurl at it after eating a rancid McDo meal. It was so goddamn overrated. No one should be allowed to feel like she did. It was the single most horrible experience in her life.

She buried her face in her hands, surprised that the tears hadn't come. She had made a habit out of crying these days, she probably dried herself out.

"_So true or So false? We give you the myths and facts about Hollywood."_

Svetlana turned her attention to the television. She hadn't noticed it was on. Not that it even mattered but the next words definitely got her attention.

"_Did a young Hollywood director get an abortion? It is SO TRUE. Senators Dirk and Chaplin Vladavitch often nicknamed Vladavitch Two's little sister, Dionne, was confirmed to have had an abortion a little over a week ago."_

Svetlana watched in horror as they displayed pictures of Dionne entering and leaving an abortion clinic in Los Angeles. _No Dionne. Anyone but you._

"_Sources suggest that the baby's father was a man from a past relationship and is not a child of her rumoured boyfriend, John Cena. It matters little now, though because the child no longer grows in her. Ms. Vladavitch was not available for comment."_

The television shifted to another scene but Svetlana was still recovering from the last one. She had never thought Dionne would go through it. It was a horribly monstrous thing to do. She stood up, pacing the room, trying not to picture a helpless, broken child drenched in blood.

She walked over to the mirror and took off her dress. She was amazed at how no one had ever noticed that she had been wearing the same type of the dress the last six weeks. She rubbed her bare stomach protectively, her hand caressing the bump that had formed there.

"Don't worry, baby. I won't let anyone hurt you."


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey Guys! I'm back again. :) Thankfully, it didn't take six months this time. So I hope you guys enjoyed that last chapter. Yeah, yeah. Svet's pregnant and you're about to find out who the daddy is, although I do think you guys already know who it is. I'm glad some of you still stuck with me. It means the world for writing hopefuls like me. Thanks to BigRedMachineUK, TheeEVefan, Cena's baby doll and ashleyh13! You guys rock :))**

**This is still Svetlana's POV. Hopefully, next chapter, you'll get to hear more from John and how he's holding up after two months. **

**Here it goes nowww. Enjoy! :D**

**Love,**

**Marchesa**

_1._

_2. Georgiana _

_3. Paul (And Julia, maybe)_

_4. The rest of the world_

Svetlana stared long and hard at the piece of paper she had written on and wondered whether or not she had made the right decision. Out of partly boredom and mostly preparation for the inevitable, she decided to come up with the list of people she would tell about the bun in her oven. Her stomach, after all was not getting any smaller and it was only a matter of time before the media would notice. One of them was sure to catch her in one of her doctor's appointments, too. She had to share the truth with the people she loved first before the news would finally be out in the open.

The warm air breezed through the balcony of her Boston home, whipping the loose locks of her braided hair. The wind blew the pages of her Nicholas Sparks novel open, not that Svetlana had been reading it in the first place. She just happened to enjoy lazy days like these when she could curl up on her wicker chair and be free from the rest of the world. A book seemed like a good enough prop for whoever was snooping around. But right now, there was a job to be done. Leaving her novel open, she went back inside her room and picked up her phone to call Giana.

It made sense for Georgiana to be number two on the list. She was her closest friend and a true one at that. At the moment, though, they still weren't speaking to each other. Giana had refused to take sides. Svetlana guessed she was either equally as repulsed by one as she was by the other or that she was subconsciously jealous that her two best friends were finally living more dramatic lives than the jetsetter's daughter. Svetlana didn't care for either one. All she did care about was that Georgiana might somehow forgive her for what she had done. It wasn't going to be easy but she was going to be damned if she didn't try.

A year ago, Svetlana contemplated that it probably would have been Dionne on that number two spot. You know, before she turned into the psychopathic baby murderer.

She hadn't expected Giana to pick up on the second ring. Not the third, nor the fourth. Hell, she would thank her luck if she even picked up on the tenth ring. But apparently, hell froze over that day because her best friend picked up on the first ring.

"Give me a good reason for me _not _to hang up on you right now."

Svetlana was caught off guard. She _had _been prepared about ten seconds ago but her words seemed to abandon her.

"Giana, hey," she managed lamely.

"What do you want, Via? If you're going to bribe me into taking your side, then don't even try. I've got enough massage certificates from Dionne to break my bones." Giana snorted and Svetlana would have joined her if the situation wasn't so serious. That was a new low for Dionne.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but I know better. Besides, whatever I might bribe you with, you'll most likely _already_ have it, except ten times better," Svetlana told her, speaking the truth. If Svetlana was rich, then Georgiana was _filthy_ wealthy.

Svetlana heard the tsk from the other end. "Oh, honey, but flattery won't win me your affections either. Did you call to discuss my economical status? Because I'd rather put down this phone right now, if you ask me."

"No! Please, Georgiana, don't." Svetlana sighed, forgetting how difficult her best friend could be when she wanted to. "I need to tell you something. It's really important."

"What makes you think I'll listen?" Georgiana almost spat. Svetlana winced at that.

"Well," she trailed off. _Carefully; one misstep and you'll fall._ "You actually don't have to, but I would have wanted my best friend to find out first. Even now, I know I can still trust you not to spill out my secrets. I'll tell you about it, alright?"

"That's your prerogative," she said coolly, trying to sound indifferent but Svetlana knew that Georgiana couldn't resist fresh gossip.

"Promise you won't yell at me?" Childishly.

"Get on with it, Via." Impatient, now.

"Well, I'm _kind of _pregnant," Svetlana spilled out.

"What do you - ?" Svetlana could just picture Georgiana now, her brown eyes widening and her mouth hanging open. Then, realizing it was agape, she would probably cover it with her hand like she always did. Oh and don't forget the sputters.

"_Holy Shit! _Wha – You! – How is this – What in the world came over – You! Pregnant! That sounds so wrong!"

Svetlana frowned. Leave it to Georgiana to make her feel even worse about this.

Georgiana must have sensed this. "No I meant being a mother and all. We always pictured Dionne to go first, remember? Having kids and shit, that was just so... _her. _And now _you._" She paused, taking a deep breath. "Wow, I'm sorry about being such a bitch. I didn't know you were going through _this._"

"I would have been a bitch to me, too," Svetlana assured her. "It feels good to tell someone, though."

"You mean the daddy doesn't know?" Georgiana inquired.

"No and if I can help it, he never will. It would complicate a lot of things even more," Svetlana explained.

"I can't agree with you there, Via. Complicated or not, he deserves to know," Georgiana told her. "I'll be there with you when it happens, if you like."

Svetlana smiled, knowing that Georgiana had finally found it in herself to forgive her. "Thank you, Giana but I just can't tell him. I'm willing to tarnish my career and my reputation for this but I can't possibly do that to him. It would _ruin _him."

"Via, I'm sure he's a mature adult. This is his responsibility as much as it is yours."

Svetlana thought about that and sighed. Giana was right but somehow, her courage just wasn't there to agree with her. "I'll... keep that in mind," she gave her best friend that much. "Thank you, though. For listening."

"And thank you. For _making _me listen," Giana countered with a laugh. "But Via, I hope you know this doesn't mean I've approved of the things you've done before. I know it's been a while but you aren't entirely the victim of the situation, you know that."

Svetlana nodded. She did know this and she was sorry for it. "I know, Giana. I respect your opinion and don't worry, I won't try to sway you into taking my side any time soon. I'm just thankful you've forgiven me."

"As much as I want to, I couldn't possibly hate you, honey. Two months was long enough!" She guffawed.

"Thanks, again," Svetlana said and then added in with her fingers crossed, "Come with me to my first doctor's appointment?"

The answer was immediate. "Call me and I'll be there."

"Goodbye, Giana! I want to hug you so much right now," Svetlana said, meaning it now more than ever.

"Bye Via, keep yourself safe!" With that, she hung up.

Svetlana felt lighter now but frowned again when her eyes landed on the list. Compared to telling Paul, asking Giana's forgiveness would be easier than walking a dog. It would be the hardest thing to admit her pregnancy to her brother. Before she could tell him, she most certainly would have to narrate the past year of her life and she had to do so in a way that Paul might not brand her as a backstabbing whore. What's worse is that she would have to recall all the events that she had been trying so hard to heal from in the past eight weeks. Would she really be so masochistic as to open up a fresh wound like that?

Svetlana knew the answer before she had asked herself the question. Of course she would. She couldn't keep lying to her brother. Not anymore. She didn't even mind if his wife Julia found out. Everyone would, anyway.

She glanced back at her list and at the empty number one spot. She had been wrong. Telling Paul won't be the hardest thing to do.

It would be telling Rajon.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. Had a lot on my plate buuuuuttt I managed to pull through and finish this.**

**This is John's POV, by the way so I hope you'll enjoy!**

**One more thing, let's see if you can guess what WS means :) Read on and you'll get what I'm talking about.**

**OH AND BTW, I have a new story posted. It's called "You Don't Know Me". Still stars John Cena, the love of my life. LOL. I hope you guys can go read that too. **

**Read and Review, please? Thanks guys.**

**Love, **

**Marchesa**

"I hope you had a great time, kiddo. Here's your shirt."

John Cena handed one of his purple and yellow shirts to the squealing ten year old whose name he had forgotten. The kid took his shirt gladly and waved him goodbye. His heart always lightened whenever he made someone smile. It was the opening of the first WWE shop in Boston, in the place where he truly felt at home, not even Tampa could measure up to the comfort of Beantown. He always liked giving back to his hometown. The next person in line was just as giddy, practically shoving his gear to him. He laughed.

"Easy , fella. Wow, how do you have all this stuff?" The boy had brought in stuff from when he was still in his first years in the WWE. There was his album, his old wristbands, replicas of his chains and some other memorabilia back when WWE was rated TV14. He looked up at the boy and realized it wasn't a boy after all but a man close to his twenties.

The boy nodded. "Hell yeah. I've been a fan way before you've started wrestling, Cena," he said. John liked his confidence. The boy gestured to all his stuff as he John signed them. "Don't you miss it at all?"

John chuckled, almost bitterly, as he finished with the last wristband. He knew what the boy meant. "Don't I ever. Those were the best days of my life, kid. I can't remember the last time people with deep voices actually cheered me on. But then you realize that life doesn't always give you the things you want. You just have to man up and deal with it. Quote me on that, will ya?"

The boy laughed as he took back all his merch. "Yes, sir. Would you tell Vince to remember he has adult viewers took? Frankly, the superhero/babyface gig is getting old really fast."

"I'll do my best. You got everything?"

"I think I do. Thanks, Cena. It was nice meeting you."

John watched the boy walk away and realized he didn't even know his name.

"John, the hour's up. It's time to move now." It was Jenna behind him, the event manager. John followed her out to the shop's exit. Even then, people were still swarming to meet him. He eagerly reached out his hands and smiled for their cameras until he reached the limo on the driveway.

"That was quite a turnout, a few thousand, I reckon," Jenna told him, although she could have been talking to her clipboard. John wondered idly if she had a life outside of her job. Jenna turned to him then with a frazzled look on her face and for a moment, Cena thought she had heard him. "Wait, there were two of you. Where's the other WS?"

John rolled his eyes at the ridiculous penname she had given them. "For the last time, I'm not on steroids. I'm pretty sure Randy isn't too."

"Of course you aren't, sweetie." She was about as sincere as the Cheshire Cat. "Didn't I pull him out of there already?"

"Don't worry he's here," John told her. At that moment, the limo door flew open and screams filled his ears as Randy waved his last goodbyes to the crowd. The door shut tightly after him.

"That was fun." He was grinning from ear to ear. "I have the sickest news. There was this one guy who dumped all this stuff from back then. My old shirts and all that shit. I didn't even know people kept that stuff anymore."

John nodded. "I got that guy, too. He brought some of my chains with him."

Jenna rudely interrupted what was turning out to be an interesting conversation. "Vince wants to know if you guys are pushing through with the Go for Gold Foundation appearance. We need a confirmation ASAP. That's what he says."

Randy groaned as the car began to move. John thought the driver might have to run over some of the fans but thankfully, they thought better and cleared the way.

"I'm sorry Jen but Vince has lost his mind. He made me do Raw last night and I still have to do Smackdown tomorrow. I think I'll pass," Randy said.

"How typical, WS," came Jenna's reply.

Randy glared at her. "You have no idea what people like me have to go through and if you call us that one more time, you'll be down on your ass before you can open that snarky mouth to breathe."

"Whatever you say, R-Rod."

John had to stop Randy from throwing a fist at her. He gave him a disapproving look that said _'Really? Hitting a woman? Real classy, Orton.' _To which Randy replied with a shocked expression that said _'Do I look like I care?' _John's eyebrows raised, saying, _'Let it go, Randy.'_ Randy glared at him, an expression that screamed _'Just one slap to shut that bitch up.'_

"Are you guys retarded or something?" Jenna observed their exchanged like they were crazy

"I'm a yes for tonight," John told her before Randy could do anything rash and before he could change his mind and punch her himself.

Jenna nodded at her clipboard.

Randy looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you serious, man? We've done back-to-back signings today."

"I do them all the time, Orton." John hoped to God he was going to let this go.

No such luck.

"Seriously, John, have you even had time to _breathe _these past few weeks? At this rate,you'll be dead by tomorrow. I'm not even kidding. This was the first time we even got to hang out since last Christmas when... oh."

_Shut up and let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go._

He could feel Randy's pitying stare piercing through him. He tried his best not to meet his eyes.

"Killing yourself with all this work won't make you forget, you know," Randy said, stating the obvious.

John snorted. "Is that what you think, that I'm trying to forget? Oh believe me, I've tried. Every fucking day I try to forget it even happened and pretend like I didn't screw around with Via or that I never proposed to Dionne or that she never aborted that baby. But it never leaves my mind, not even for a second."

That shut him up for a good five minutes.

"So you're really trying to kill yourself, then?" Randy asked.

"Maybe I'll kill you first, you nosy prick," John spat.

He ignored that. "I just hope you realize that you have got so much going for you, John. Don't let this one bump in the road define the rest of the ride. You have to take control of your life. Conquer your destiny, John. "

John looked away from Randy again. He didn't need someone else telling him what he should do. But as he looked outside the window, a flash of gold caught his eye. On the sidewalk, a pair of women was walking hand-in-hand. They were carrying bowls of frozen yogurt in their hands, one bowl clearly larger than the other. They were both dressed colourfully in bright pink, aquamarine and printed clothes. If someone was to take a picture of them, it would have been a perfect Juicy Couture ad. Even with shades on, John Cena could tell who they were from miles away.

"Stop the car."

Jenna's head snapped up. "Hell no. I've told Vince you're showing up."

John didn't have the energy to slap her right now but he had enough to give her a withering stare. "Then call him again and tell him I won't make it. Stop the _fucking _car, Charlie or I swear to God you're going to lose your job."

The limo halted. John fumbled for the door's latch before Randy's hand stopped him.

"What are you doing, John?"

He finally opened the goddamn door. He stepped out of the limo and for the first time in three months, smiled. "I'm conquering my destiny, Randy."


End file.
